Innovations in Long-Term Care: The Case of Old People’s Homes in Slovenia

Abstract

Institutional care for older people in Slovenia is one of the most developed forms of care for older people. The paper aims to present a specific role of homes in the existing and the future systems of long-term care from the perspective of the implementation of the national strategy of social welfare which highlights the individual treatment of its users, their inclusion in implementing and planning of care, as well as in strengthening their independence. On the basis of the survey research which covered all old people's homes in Slovenia, a series of interviews with social workers and residents and field visits to the selected homes excelling in innovative practice, we aim to show the most evident innovations. Among the most visible ones are social innovations, innovations in social welfare and home innovations. The impetus for the emerging innovations depends on the internal factors of care institutions (orientation of management, changes in the quality of services, personal relations) and external factors (cooperation with local authorities, implementation of the national strategy of social welfare). They also have an impact on the effects of innovations which may be short-term or they may have a direct impact on the quality of life in old people's homes. Identifying innovations proves that old people's homes are actively stepping into the area of long-term care which is expected to regulate their future role.