Data indicate that by 2050, the elderly population will double, rising from 23% to 32% of the total population, and thus a rethink of the care sector is necessary as it faces new challenges. According to the Long Term Care Observatory of CERGAS SDA Bocconi-Essity, families still hold a very “clinical” view of elderly care facilities, seeing them as a solution generally resorted to after years of arduous home care and only when the elderly person’s health deteriorates.
The most challenging issues to address include the economic sustainability of companies in the Long-Term Care sector, the mission of the socio-health network; the review of care standards and recognized tariffs, the coordination between residential care and other elderly services, between the socio-health network and the healthcare network, and between the public network and the private market; managing and valuing staff, and revising information systems and understanding needs, demand, and supply dynamics. These are the findings from the research of the Long Term Care Observatory of CERGAS SDA Bocconi-Essity in collaboration with the portal LaCasadiRiposo.it.
But what future should we envision for a sector so severely tested by COVID? How can we rethink care, balancing the legitimate requests for help from families with the equally legitimate need to maintain strong and close connections with our parents, grandparents, and relatives, who must remain an integral part of our daily lives?
It is obviously not feasible to consider only home care models (no matter how advanced), but it is also neither plausible nor sensible to view nursing homes merely as clinics or closed facilities.
There is an increasing need to rethink structures that should be places of support, not delegation in exchange for a fee. Maintaining a strong and constant bond with relatives is a moral imperative for aging societies. The “fragile” are not just the elderly but also those in the prime of their working lives who are forced to sacrifice constant relationships with their closest loved ones. The sense of loss risks becoming the real common element between young and old.
Care must therefore be reimagined, keeping in mind that every bond should be nurtured and maintained as much as possible, regardless of illness, difficulties, and commitments.
At this stage, technology can truly help: just think about what lockdown would have been without video calls, WhatsApp, and e-commerce. But for a senior residence, different solutions are needed, designed and implemented based on the specific needs of residents and their immediate requirements. For instance, imagine how the dialogue between a father with cognitive decline and a son who calls or visits him in the evening can be enriched if the son receives automatically gathered information throughout the day about activities and experiences of his loved one. Where the elderly person’s memory falters, the affectionate suggestion from the son can keep the conversation going and revive a faded memory. In this case, the dialogue continues despite the illness, the connection is mended, and the bond remains strong. This is just one example, but in this era of social media overexposure and extreme virtuality, we believe that the TRUE CONNECTION THAT MUST NEVER BE INTERRUPTED IS THAT OF AFFECTION.
We at TapMyLife call it CONNECTED CARE.
