Deinstitutionalisation as a challenge for the development of community-based care for older people

Care for older people in Slovenia is extremely institutionalised. The lack of community-based care is one of the persistent problems obstructing the development of care for older people. Care for older people is dominated by a rigid system of institutions, which do not meet the needs of the heterogeneous group of older people. A particular problem is access to help – it is often unavailable. This state of affairs definitely calls for a change based on research and assessment of old people’s needs including quantitative indicators (the number of formal types of help needed) as well as qualitative ones (needs which are currently not met, kinds of services needed). To be able to meet the needs of its residents, large institutions should initially be sized down, reorganised and converted into smaller units and new living arrangements should be introduced. The process of deinstitutionalisation in the area of care for older people creates an opportunity for the kind of change that would meet the needs of the current older population as well as the future ones that are bound to grow larger – given the demographic trends.