ABSTRACT
Nursing homes are where some of the most vulnerable live and work. In too many homes, the conditions of work make it difficult to make care as good as it can be. For the last eight years an international team from Germany, Sweden, Norway, the UK, the US and Canada have been searching for promising practices that treat residents, families and staff with dignity and respect in ways that can also bring joy. While we did find ideas worth sharing, we also saw a disturbing trend toward privatization.
Privatization is the process of moving away not only from public delivery and public payment for health services but also from a commitment to shared responsibility, democratic decision-making, and the idea that the public sector operates according to a logic of service to all.
This book documents moves toward privatization in the six countries and their consequences for families, staff, residents, and, eventually, us all. None of the countries has escaped pressure from powerful forces in and outside government pushing for privatization in all its forms. However, the wide variations in the extent and nature of privatization indicate privatization is not inevitable and our research shows there are alternatives.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 1|108 pages
Privatization in Six Countries
chapter Chapter 2|13 pages
The Growth of the For-Profit Nursing Home Sector in Norway and Sweden
chapter Chapter 3|17 pages
Privatization of Nursing Homes in the United Kingdom and the United States
chapter Chapter 4|19 pages
The Marketization and Commodification of Long-Term Care in Germany
chapter Chapter 5|15 pages
Privatization of Long-term Residential Care in Canada
chapter Chapter 6|23 pages
Labor Restructuring and Nursing Home Privatization in British Columbia, Canada
part 2|114 pages
Key Issues