ICE. Informal care and employment in Upper Austria. Current situation and needs for action

Das aktuelle Projekt ICE beschäftigt sich mit der Vereinbarkeit von Pflege und Beruf: https://www.euro.centre.org/projects/detail/4741 CONTACT Selma Kadi PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR Selma Kadi PROJECT TEAM AT THE EUROPEAN CENTRE Mirjam Pot, Cassandra Simmons, Kai Leichsenring BACKGROUND Informal caregiving is an important part of the long-term care system in Upper Austria. Unequal availability of services, staff shortages, co-payments for professional care and societal expectations can lead to informal carers providing care despite negative effects on their own wellbeing. Many informal carers, faced with the task of combining informal care and employment, have to reduce their working hours and are faced with a reduction of their income. Some also leave employment because of caregiving. Support measures have to enable informal carers to combine informal caregiving with employment. AIMS The expected outcome is a better understanding of the challenges that informal carers face in combining care and employment. This provides a foundation for the development of support measures for informal carers who are in employment. METHODS • Literature review • Interview study • Secondary analysis of survey data ACTIVITIES/MILESTONES • Overview of existing research and main challenges for informal carers in employment • Interviews to understand informal carers’ needs and preferences • Identification of best practices • Secondary analysis of survey data • Development of recommendations