Integration of Telecare into the National Long-term Care - System The Case of Slovenia

Abstract

In Europe and beyond, there are countries that are only now working intensively on the integration of remote care into home care, while in other countries the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is already routine. Among these countries is Slovenia, which in December 2021 adopted a systemic Long-term Care (LTC) Act, which formally introduces the right to e-care in home care. The integration of ICT services are essential to ensure adequate home care. This has been demonstrated by the LTC pilot projects in Slovenia, financed by the European social found which provided financial support for testing solutions that were later adopted in the LTC Act. The pilot projects drew attention to areas that still need to be researched, especially in rural communities. From this point of view, projects are an important starting point for the further development of social infrastructure in local communities. This paper shows what has directly conditioned and influenced the development of the LTC system in Slovenia and the consequent integration of e-Care in home care system. The case shows that the integration of ICT in LTC depends less on the actual needs that may influence the redirection of budget spending towards health and social care and more on the will of each government to do its "core business" in the struggle for how much, to whom and when to allocate resources to enforce the rights. The article draws attention to shortcomings that would be useful to take into account when developing a sustainable system of long-term care for an aging society.