Events

(joint work with Ludovico Carrino, Karen Glaser, and Mauricio Avendano)

Abstract: After over a decade of austerity policies in Europe, it is important to assess the consequences of the "re-familisation" of long-term care (LTC) for disabled older adults of different socio-economic groups. In this presentation I will examine how inequalities in the use of formal and informal care services vary across European LTC systems and over time. The project draws upon data from the SHARE and ELSA surveys, which we linked with national and sub-national indicators of LTC provision. First, we analysed how socio-economic inequalities in care use related to the number of available beds in nursing homes across administrative regions in Europe. Second, we studied how cuts to social care expenditure in England since 2010 affected care use among disabled older adults according to their eligibility for publicly funded care. The results from these analyses suggest that reductions in public or subsidised LTC services have exacerbated socio-economic differences in access to formal and informal care. Wealthier individuals are more likely to rely on formal or mixed-care services, while socio-economically disadvantaged groups may disproportionately fall back upon their families for care.

The Sociology Seminar Series for Hilary Term is convened by Dave Kirk and Jennifer Dowd.  For more information about this or any of the seminars in the series, please contact sociology.secretary@nuffield.ox.ac.uk.