Coping Ageing Population and Long Term Care in European Countries: Ethical Considerations on Justice in Health Care With Regard to Digitalisation, Health Care Policies and Resource Management

Abstract

Studies forecast the growth of the older population of the European Union (EU) as well as an associated increase in the need for healthcare. All EU member states share comparable challenges. Resources and coping strategies differ widely within the European Union. Strategies of the Netherlands (high spending power, decentralized long-term care) and Estonia (low spending power, digitalization, separated framework for healthcare and social care) will be exemplified for ethical considerations on justice in healthcare as well as pointing out ideas for shaping the future of elderly people’s care. This article emphasizes that, particularly in the field of long-term care, need-oriented and patient-oriented integration of health and social systems at a governmental level is a necessary prerequisite for an equitable distribution of resources.