Challenges and needs of informal caregivers in elderly care: qualitative research in four European countries, the TRACE Project

Abstract

Nowadays, the world’s population is aging rapidly. According to the World Health Organization, by 2050, about 16 percent of the world's population (nearly 1.5 billion people) will be elderly (World Health Organization [WHO], 2015). Most developed world countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of 'elderly' or older person ( Bilgili & Yetiş, 2017). Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double with the increase from 12% to 22% (WHO, 2017). Therefore, life with chronic illnesses are prolonged. It is predicted that the need for care for the elderly will increase. Care is defined as the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something (Cambridge Dictionary). Care can be organized in an informal or formal way (Albin, Siwertsson & Svensson, 2011). Informal care is an unpaid care provided by family, friends or volunteers and plays a crucial role in caregiving process to a person with a chronic illness or disability (Roth, Fredman & Haley,2015). Today, informal care is a common way of caregiving and its demand is increasing in many countries (Silva, Teixeira, Teixeira, & Freitas, 2013). As a result, the role of informal caregivers is becoming an important issue at a political, sociological, and economic level (Van Durme, Macq, Jeanmart, & Gobert, 2012). The demand for informal care is high and will further increase because of the ageing population in all European countries (Eurofound, 2017). The estimates of the number of informal caregivers ranges from 10% up to 25% of the total population in Europe (Verbakel, Tamlagsrønning, Winstone, Fjær, Eikemo, 2017). Providing informal care is not easy and may affect caregivers’ life in different ways: It can, not only cause physical and psychological health problems and but also affects participation in professional (Schulz & Paula, 2008; Willemse et al., 2016) [...].