Obstacles to caring institutions in eldercare: The Czech Republic as a social laboratory of capitalist transformation

0525362 - SOÚ 2020 RIV PL eng J - Journal Article
Uhde, Zuzana - Maříková, Hana
Obstacles to caring institutions in eldercare: The Czech Republic as a social laboratory of capitalist transformation.
Problemy Polityki Społecznej. Roč. 47, č. 4 (2019), s. 9-28. ISSN 1640-1808
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-07898S
Institutional support: RVO:68378025
Keywords : caring institutions * ethics of care * formal long-term eldercare * Czech Republic * commodification
OECD category: Sociology
Method of publishing: Open access
http://www.problemypolitykispolecznej.pl/Obstacles-to-caring-institutions-in-eldercare-nThe-Czech-Republic-as-a-social-laboratory,122265,0,2.htmlboratory,122265,0,2.html

The issue of eldercare is becoming more and more important in late modern societies due to the aging of the population and the growing need for care. The article deals with formal long-term care for the elderly (in residential facilities and home care) with a focus on the Czech Republic as one of the former real-socialist countries. Here, a significant transformation of the eldercare system began to take shape in the wake of capitalist transformation. But it also took place in a society with relatively egalitarian societal attitudes and expectations. The article draws from qualitative research based on interviews with caregivers in direct care and expert interviews with professionals working at different levels of eldercare system in the Czech Republic. Our analysis is grounded on the feminist theory of care that allows us to critically reflect on both the changes and the unintended consequences of the public care policies settings, and the perspectives of communication partners on how to provide quality care. Our goal is to identify elements that are perceived positively in connection with the rules setup and which, from the point of view of individual actors in formal long-term care, help to create a genuine environment of caring institutions.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0309525