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EEA and Norway Grants conference on ageing policies

 

Policy-makers and researchers from Poland, Norway and international organisations met in Warsaw on 25-26 November 2014 at the conference ‘Ageing society – untapped potential’ to discuss the challenges of the ageing population in Europe and how to turn them into opportunities. The conference also aimed to raise awareness of the EEA and Norway Grants health programmes and the bilateral cooperation between Poland and Norway.

 

 

How can we draw the full potential from an ageing society? How can we increase healthy life years and wellbeing while keeping public finances sustainable? These questions were discussed among participants who agreed that both countries need to focus on policies and attitudes that promote active ageing.

 

 

Norway – one of the highest spenders on long-term care in Europe

 

 

Norway has one of the highest spending rates on long-term care in Europe (according to the OECD, in 2008 the country spent 2.2% of its GDP in this field). Although Norway spends more on social welfare than most countries, there are still health inequalities caused by socio-economic determinants such as life-style or education. For example, the average life expectancy in 2009 was over 6 years higher for a woman with tertiary education than for a woman with primary education, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health at the University of Oslo.

 

 

Currently, there is an on-going discussion about the redesign of health and social care services focusing on prevention, rehabilitation and housing to enable people to stay longer at home. In a White Paper entitled ‘Future Care’, the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services stresses that better developed care services would also allow family carers, particularly women, to work longer.

 

 

Poland – redesigning the social care market for an ageing society

 

 

In 2050, 30% of the Polish population will be over 65 years old and the most common diseases in this age group will be mental illnesses, including dementia and depression. According to the OECD, in 2008 the country spent 0.4% of its GDP on long-term care. Social and personal care is mostly provided by family carers. This impacts social connections (with neighbours and communities) and the participation of older people in social life; in Poland, they are weaker than in other European countries, according to the Courage project, a cross-national research initiative which evaluates the role of social networks as determinants of health and disability on an ageing population.

 

 

Another challenge is the very low number of doctors, especially gerontologists. The Polish government has started working on policies and practices that address the ageing society, including how to train and educate doctors to deal with multi-morbidity and long-term conditions. At the conference, Senator Mieczysław Augustyn presented a draft legislation that supports informal carers and aims to boost the care market. Moreover, pilot projects have now been implemented that provide post-hospital care or tele-care for older people in order to prevent re-hospitalisation.

 

 

Long-term solutions for long-term care

 

 

Speaking at the conference, Lisa Schönenberg from the European Social Network (ESN) emphasised the impact of public social services on the wellbeing of older people. She underlined the vital role of local and regional authorities in providing personal care services to dependent, older people in order to support them live autonomously and safely. They are also in a unique strategic position as they possess local knowledge about issues on the ground and are able to shape a dialogue with citizens and involve them in the redesign and delivery of care services.

 

 

There are a number of ideas to take forward from the discussions in Poland, to help countries realise the potential of ageing societies, starting with changing the perception of old age and acknowledging the economic contribution of older people; the next steps would be redesigning health and social care on an assets-based approach, addressing social determinants of health, and looking for long-term solutions by creating supportive environments.

 

 

Resources

 

 

ESN’s work on Ageing and Care
More about the conference
Presentations