4 Leaf Clover Quality Model for Senior Service Sector
Challenges & Recommendations
Despite differences in political approaches and institutional frameworks, health and social services in all Member States face similar challenges in adjusting to demographic ageing, changing employment and family patterns, evolving technological opportunities and funding issues.
The complexity of situation is worsened by the fact that on one side we will experience demands in relation to work force (more intensive recruitment and retention schemes) and on the other side changed profile of the customers of services, i.e. elderly, which means necessity of professionalization of the work force and different quality expectations.
The challenges of the European senior services sector can be summarized into the following key issues:
1. Short-fall in recruitment versus increasing service-user demand and its differentiation
2. The introduction of new political agendas and development strategies in order to professionalise and standardise the sector
3. Long-term care and care for special groups in terms of resource consumption, quality schemes and more advanced form for communication between the primary sector of medical care and social care institutions.
4. Differentiation and expansion of the professional boundaries of elderly services compared with changing societal patters, which sets new demand for cross-sectoral and cross organisational collaboration.
Here you can experience how the project achievements can benefit the 10 challenges for Europe:
Challenge of ensuring sufficient recruitment and effective retention strategies
- Shortages in recruitment: home care, day centres, nursing homes
- Retention problems: ageing work force, fluctuation problems, poor wages, unattractive work environment
- Raising service quality and effectiveness
- Black labour market (up till 50% FR, DE IT)
- New applicant groups: migrant workers, career changers, disadvantaged groups, males
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Challenge of new collaboration patterns
- Definition of meeting boundaries and responsibilities and information/knowledge flow: currently services divided between different public structures and budgets, between local and central governments, between health and social sectors
- Formal and informal systems
- Public and private entities
- Multidisciplinary coordination tasks
- Activating and involving senior citizens
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Challenge of matching changes in demand for senior services
- Changing profile of senior citizens: family patterns, perception of quality of life, use of technology, active life
- New senior service fields – matching diversified and new consumption patterns
- Active life and mobility
- Variety of services towards differently profiled group of seniors based on comprehensive needs assessments
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Challenge of balancing service level funding
- Priority of European policies
- Pressure on public expenditure: social protection, welfare, health systems
- New financing models
- Differentiation of standards and levels of senior services
- Need of campaigns and education for individuals in financing of senior years
- Cost-benefit aspects
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Challenge of housing measures to support independence
- Independent living = predominant priority: combination between housing , technology and new work organisation
- Relieving burden of healthcare and hospital sector
- Danger of isolation: urban vs. rural areas, degree of informal care, presence of day activity centres
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Challenge of technologies to support independence
- For individuals: assistive tools, social relations, intelligent homes, communication
- For care staff: administrative, telemedicine, exoskeletons, robots
- Consequences for educational systems and lifelong learning
- Impact on work places
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Challenge of changing in competence areas and in vocational education and training
- Demands of professionalization
- Market based developments in service areas
- Technological solutions and new organisational patterns
- Changing boundaries of job profiles: cross sectoral approach, prevention of diseases, senior neutral sectors becoming senior friendly
- ew groups in recruitment
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Challenge of long term care and special groups
- Long term=the extent and variety of tasks
- Increase in age related illnesses
- Impact on public expenditure
- Impact on housing, technology, collaboration between healthcare, social care and families
- Structures influenced by informal and family care
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Challenges of globalisation and migration
- Migrant seniors: immigrant elderly vs. sun-seeking pensioners
- Long-term care tourism
- Impact on healthcare and social care
- Impact on service areas
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Need for changing the image of the care sector
- Getting recognition = professionalisation, quality standards, educational measures
- Media campaigns suppporting proffesional and positive picture of thesector
