A forward study of informal care

Original title: Blijvend in balans; een toekomstverkenning van informele zorg.

What will informal care look like in 2020? What can the government do about problems which may arise with regard to informal care?
It is often assumed that there will be less informal care in the future. However, forecasts suggest that the number of people giving and receiving care will remain in balance. Nonetheless, there are a number of key social and cultural trends which will put pressure on the provision of informal care. The rising labour participation rate of women and older people, the growing geographical distances between relatives and the overall higher education level all have a negative influence on the availability of care. In addition, many people in need of care actually prefer professional care because they find it difficult to receive help from their close relatives. There are also positive trends, however, such as the rise in the number of potential caregivers among older persons.
The balance of supply and take-up depends not only on the choices people themselves make; government policy also has a clear influence. For example, people are increasingly combining paid work with care tasks; this means the importance of leave arrangements is becoming ever greater.

In this publication SCP, at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), brings together a number of background studies on the future of informal care.