Greece

Abstract

Responsibility for health and social care services for older people in Greece is divided between the family, the State, local authorities, social security and mutual funds, the Greek Orthodox Church, non-profit organizations, and the private for-profit sector. Basic primary health care, as well as hospital care, is universal, provided through the National Health System and/or through the social security/social insurance system. Social support and social care services are discretionary and are developed mainly by the local authorities, the Church and other non-profit organizations. Provision is limited and there is little or no support for many carers, but there are signs of increasing state intervention in response to the needs of older people. The number of home help programmes offered by local authorities is growing rapidly and a new state-funded National Organization for Social Care, equivalent to the National Health System, emerged in 1998. There is a commitment to develop this area further. Residential care is offered by the State, the social insurance funds, the local authorities, the Church, non-governmental organizations and private companies, but availability is limited, and in most cases it is expensive.KeywordsLocal AuthoritySocial ExclusionMutual FundInsurance FundNational Health SystemThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.