Overview

This article describes the national provision of long-term care (LTC) in 35 European countries, with a focus on arrangements for older people. It points to the four main challenges common to all countries: 1) access and adequacy of LTC provision, 2) quality of formal home care as well as residential services, 3) employment of informal carers, and 4) financial sustainability of the national systems. Since all European countries will continue to face significant LTC system challenges, a series of recommendations are presented to help overcome these.