Long-term care benefits and services in Italy

Abstract

Among EU countries Italy is second-after Germany-in terms of population ageing. About 13.2 million (or 21.7%) of the population were over 65 years old in 2015, and their number is expected to increase to more than 20 million people in 2060. Despite the significant ageing of the population and the growing number of persons likely to become dependent on long-term care, Italy is a latecomer in activating care policies and in responding comprehensively to long-term care needs linked to demographic transformations. In particular, uniform social services securing long-term care are still missing. Major target groups of public interventions are either adult persons with severe disabilities below the retirement age, or senior persons beyond retirement age with specific functional impairments.