ABSTRACT

Germany has traditionally scored relatively high on the 'decommodification' but low on the 'defamilialization' measure. Due to the principle of subsidiarity, care for adults and for children has been chiefly the family's responsibility. The financial strain for adults in need of long-terra care and for their families increased in respect of institutional care. Germany has been trying to get rid of its image of a 'pensioners' welfare state', a society with few jobs and few children, and soaring non-wage labour costs and pressures on insurance funds. The risk of long-term care was mainly covered by the means-tested social assistence scheme, which provided benefits as a last resort. Long-term institutional carers, on the other hand, often lacked professional expertise and status. Prior to the new care legislation, two main providers of long-term care existed: individuals or families on the one hand, and voluntary welfare organizations on the other.