Key Drivers and Barriers of Social Innovation in Long Term Care: Lessons from the Italian Case.

Background:In the last decades the debate on policies to address the challenges posed by population aging has led to a change in the approach used to to tackle this issue. More attention is being paid to the impact this phenomenon might have on society and on lifestyles along the life course (Leichsenring et al., 2013; Walker & Foster, 2013). The widespread use of keywords such as “active ageing” and “social innovation” in formulating policies underline the emergence of innovative strategies to face the new challenges deriving from changes in socio-demographics and societal needs (European Commission 2012).

In Long Term Care (LTC), social innovation has been focussing on attempts to improve the quality of life of frail older people and their informal caregivers. In recent years, many good practices have been activated in this respect, but no systematic review of these experiences has yet been carried out. This would be helpful to better understand what are the main barriers and drivers of social innovation in this field, and what can facilitate the mainstreaming of prototypal actions into systematic change.

Focus of this presentation: Starting from the research carried out by the MOPACT project (http://mopact.group.shef.ac.uk/) in the field of LTC, this presentation aims to illustrate which social innovations have been implemented in the Italian context, and the areas in which further steps are more urgently needed for the future. This will take place by highlighting first the linkage between social innovation and LTC, as well as the strategies and actions undertaken so far. In a second step, the key factors that can facilitate or hinder the process of implementation of these initiatives in this country will be identified, on the background of recent developments across Europe. Finally, suggestions for a realistic strategy to implement social innovation in LTC will be formulated.