Abstract

CAMERON, Claire  and  MOSS, Peter. The attention to dependent people in Europe: current concepts and future perspectives. Psychosocial Intervention [online]. 2007, vol.16, n.1, pp.7-22. ISSN 2173-4712.

Confronted to the verification of the important demographic, economic and social changes in Europe affecting the provision of support services to dependent persons, the European Commission has financed the research "The attention to dependent people in Europe (current concepts and future perspectives)" that is presented in this article. Among the six countries conforming the sample, we can observe conceptual and structural important differences in the attention to the dependence, as well as diversity in the personnel typology, although some work requirements are identify to be common in all the population's sectors of intervention. The conclusions manifest that, except some exceptions, the salary and other work conditions are insufficient, although the work on partial time, very frequent in this sector, has allowed the woman to reconcile the work and family life better, still with the risk of continuing maintaining the excessive feminisation of the professional sector. The workers perceive that the attention provided by them is considered as low status, although they don't have doubts about its importance. This situation can produce a serious shortage in the endowment of professionals in the countries of the E.U. The utility of three measures is valued as complementary: the stimulation of the informal care (family permits and incentives); to take advantage of underestimate pockets of caregivers (current or potentials), generally with low qualification levels; to revalue the attention to dependent persons with new professionals profiles and improvement of the qualification, continuous formation and professional development, redounding in a wider social recognition. Without forgetting the importance to increase the diversity of the professionals from an ethnic and gender points of view.

Keywords : Dependence in the E.U.; Dependent persons care; The professional profiles of caregivers.

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