06. Shortage of care providers

The increasing demand for care and the impeding shortage of care providers is putting pressure on the accessibility of care. The number of informal caregivers are increasing eventhough their number is decreasing. An individual who requires care can rightly ask himself: who will take care of me if I need help, and where would this help occur? 

• The shortage of care-givers is growing; demanding working conditions and slowly growing wages are hampering recruitment.
• There are limits to the possibilities and the number of informal carers.
• We see the concentration of care, in the context of better care at lower costs, and in the case of non-acute care we see that care is being organised increasingly closer to the patient.
• Elderly people live independently for a longer period of time and also want care at home.