Home Care in Europe - Jack B.F. Hutten

Most countries in the European Union are confronted with an increasing demand for professional home care, due to demographic developments, socio-cultural changes and new policy goals in health care and social services. However, the organization and financing of services differ widely between the countries. - - This book gives a systematic overview of the organization and financing of home care in the fifteen member states of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Home care is defined as nursing care at home and home help services. Such an overview can be helpful to improve communication and co-operation between home care organizations as well as policy makers at European level. - - The book provides relevant information for nursing and social services scientists, community nurses and home helps, social workers, and managers, educators and policy makers in the field of home nursing care and home help services. - - The first chapter provides a systematic cross national comparison on the main trends in the financing and organization of home care in the countries. In the succeeding chapters the following topics are described in more detail for each country separately: -
The setting of home care within the health care system -
The organization of home nursing and home help services: - - organizational structure - - manpower - - client populations - - type of care provided - - relationships between home nursing and home help services - - problems regarding the organization and recent developments -
The financing of home nursing and home help services - - insurance systems and required co-payment of patients - - funding of the home care organizations - - salaries of home nurses and home helpers - - problems regarding the financing and recent developments.