Caring about care planning: A survey of assessment and care planning tools, processes and perspectives from residential care settings for older people in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Introduction: Throughout the developed world the ageing of populations has become a matter of increasing attention both for policy-makers and practitioners. Indeed, as far back as the late 1990s, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) advised that for many nations population ageing was a key policy priority, not least because of its ‘implications for pensions, health care and long-term care’ (OECD, 1998, p. 15). Though changing population demographics may appear to be the most clearly quantifiable aspect of such concerns, they represent only one side of the coin. For example, within many nations increased female participation in education and labour markets in conjunction with socio-cultural changes have contributed to a reduction in the supply of carers, a dilution of family ties and an increase in single person households. As a consequence, the availability both of formal and informal carers has diminished at the same time as the demands on care systems have risen (European Commission, 2008; Pavolini & Ranci, 2008; OECD, 2005; Kroger, 2003).