Summary - Foresight study of informal care for elderly people in 2040
A regional foresight study for the next 20 years
Original title: Toekomstverkenning mantelzorg aan ouderen in 2040
This report discusses informal care, a form of caregiving which many people are aware of and experience at close quarters because they themselves or a loved one are either giving or receiving informal care.
As a growing number of older people (have to) continue living independently in their own household until a very old age, the importance of informal care is increasing. This raises the question of what the situation will be like in the future. Will there be sufficient informal care available for the growing number of older people in Dutch society as a result of population ageing? The report examines this question and presents a picture of likely developments at regional level in both the number of independent community-dwelling older persons (aged over 75) who will be receiving informal care in the future (2018-2040) and in the availability of providers of that care.
The study was carried out in collaboration between the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL). The outcomes of the most recent regional population and household forecasts from PBL and Statistics Netherlands (CBS) (2019) were combined with the findings of SCP research on giving and receiving informal care (2014-2016).