Changing Housing for Elderly People and Co-ordination Issues in Europe

Abstract

The inter-sectoral policy systems of housing for elderly people in the EU-countries change with the implementation of ageing in place and by general processes of modernisation of society and welfare state. For implementation of the innovations the relevance of co-ordination between the sector housing, care and social services depends on the state of development of the sectors in a country. However, modernisation threatens co-ordination by decentralisation, privatisation and transfer of choices and responsibilities to the individual. This paper is an international comparative study describing how countries of the European Union are dealing with the topic of co-ordination. Nowadays especially policy actors at the regional and local level have the responsibility for inter-sectoral co-ordination. Looking at the practices of these actors the development of a shared vision on ageing in place seems to be very important. Central government should facilitate this approach and control the results. The term 'managed co-operation' describes very well this new way of management of co-ordination.