An estimated 80% of long-term care for the elderly in Europe is provided by family members. The majority of family carers are women, which has a negative impact on their employment rates, income, health and work-life balance. In the new issue of IPF Note How can we support informal carers of older people? Marijana Bađun describes the key features of informal carers in Croatia and lists the most recent support measures aimed at improving the carers’ positions. 

According to the OECD report on improving long-term care in Croatia, almost 75% of family carers are women. The average age of carers in Croatia is 62, while around 40% of carers are under the age of 60. Carers have lower education levels, live in lower-income households and are, for the most part, not employed. Those who are employed find it difficult to balance care duties with their other daily activities. As many as 90% of family carers in Croatia feel fulfilled from providing care to a family member; however, at the same time, around 40% of them are faced with financial consequences, one-half are experiencing mental health issues, while another half are having relational problems with the person to which they are providing care. 

The 2022 Social Welfare Act introduced the possibility of granting carer status to a spouse or non-marital or civil partner of a person with disability who is completely dependent on the assistance and care by another person. This carer status can also be granted to a person of the care recipient’s choice. The carer has the right to an allowance, four-week leave and may be entitled to second income as per the Personal Income Tax Act. As of 1 January 2023, the Labour Act provides for the options of working at a separate location and remote work, which should benefit family carers. Person working at the employer’s premises may request amendments to their employment contract, whereby they can temporarily define working at a separate location for providing personal care to an immediate family member or person living in the same household whose serious medical condition demands such care. Furthermore, a person providing care who has been employed with the same employer for more than six months, regardless of the nature of their employment contract (i.e. fixed-term or permanent), may request from their employer a temporary amendment to their employment contract switching from full-time to part-time work or adjusting their working hours.

In addition to these measures, it is necessary to enhance the availability, affordability and quality of formal long-term care so that providing informal care to an elder and infirm family member would be a choice rather than a necessity.