Ensuring public funding for providing home care to older adults with limited self-sufficiency could prove not only to be a welfare measure, but also an effective strategy for improving seniors’ mental health, reducing psychiatric care costs, and easing the burden on families.

This is the conclusion of an international study published in the prestigious journal Health Economics, led by Ludovico Carrino, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Trieste, in collaboration with Erica Reinhard of King’s College London and Mauricio Avendano of the University of Lausanne.

The study, among the first in the scientific community to empirically examine the socio-economic impact of public home care for older adults, analysed data from four European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain), and highlighted the many potential benefits of publicly supported Long-Term Care (LTC) programmes.

The findings show that access to home care services:

• reduces the risk of clinical depression by 13 percentage points, compared to an observed average of 28% in the study population;
• lowers the risk of loneliness by 6.7%;
• improves perceived quality of life by 14%.

Ludovico Carrino, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Trieste, commented: ‘In addition to the health benefits for individuals, the study highlights the potential economic impact of such measures. Late-life depression has high healthcare costs: studies conducted over the past decades show an annual extra cost of $3,225 per person aged 65–74 in the UK, while in Germany the figure is $2,840 annually for those over 75. Reducing the incidence of mental health disorders through an efficient home care system therefore means not only improving the quality of life for older people, but also decreasing the need for medication, psychiatric care and hospitalisation, with positive effects on the sustainability of national healthcare systems.’

Another key finding of the research relates to the role of informal caregivers. Care provided by family members, such as children or relatives, is often the main source of support, with a significant impact on the work and personal lives of those providing care. Widening access to home care services could relieve caregivers from what is often an all-consuming role, returning human resources to the labour market with potentially positive outcomes for productivity and household income. In Italy, where the development of public Long-Term Care lags behind that of other European countries, the findings of the Health Economics study may offer concrete guidance for shaping public policy and updating welfare strategies. 

‘Legislative initiatives in recent years have sparked reflection on the need to strengthen funding and broaden access to home care services, drawing attention to a highly relevant issue in a country where an ageing population will inevitably lead to a rise in the number of people requiring care,’ concluded Ludovico Carrino.

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Full study published in Health Economics
There Is No Place Like Home: The Impact of Public Home‐Based Care on the Mental Health and Well‐Being of Older People