Dr. Markus Leser writes about an emerging care model in Switzerland, where residential care and community-based providers are forging alliances to better serve an increasingly independent ageing population.

Much like Australia, Switzerland has an ageing population, which will see the number of people requiring aged care increase 45 per cent by 2030.

Improvements in medical care have ensured that older people and those in need of care will enter a care facility increasingly later in life. As well as being older on admission, these seniors will also have a greater need for care. This trend will continue to increase in future, meaning that the level of care delivered by care facilities will rise.

The baby boomer generation will also soon reach old age and ultimately need aged care. In spite of this need, baby boomers will want to continue their independent lifestyle for as long as possible.

Current residents are already demanding more services and choices from a single provider, while they and their families are becoming involved in decision making to a far greater extent than was the case in the past.

People in need of care are no longer necessarily receiving this in hospital-like facilities but can choose between a range of different options: assisted living, residential communities, household communities, residential care in residential care groups and so on.

Assisted residential arrangements are increasingly doing away with the separation between community-based and residential care. As a result, an ever increasing number of providers from the community-based and residential sector will come together to form various alliances.

Read the full article here: http://www.congress.curaviva.ch/frontend/organizers/media/Cur17/AAA_JanFeb2017Spread_11__002_.pdf 

Source: Australia Ageing Agenda.com.au, “Letter from Overseas: Switzerland”