Caring For A Living: Migrant Women, Aging Citizens, And Italian Families University Press Scholarship Online

Today's world is aging at a great speed, and although increased longevity represents one of the greatest achievements of the last century, the extension of life expectancy does not necessarily correspond to an extension of healthy lives. Aging populations, particularly those with a high percentage of the oldest old, are often burdened with chronic conditions that require extended long-term care. Deciding who provides said care, and in what forms, are key problems that will soon affect a growing number of post-industrial high- and mid-income countries. __Caring for a Living__contributes to this debate by exploring the organization of long-term care in Italy, a country already in the midst of an eldercare crisis. There, the answer to this problem has taken the shape of home eldercare assistance, an arrangement whereby long-term care services are bought in the market in the form of private and individualized assistance by families sometimes with economic support provided by the State. The providers of these services, commonly known as "badanti" (minders), are, for the most part, im/migrant women coming from different areas of the world. __Caring for a Living__ analyzes the emergence and development of this arrangement and the role that the state, Italian families, and workers themselves play in shaping and in defining it. The author provides timely insights on: the nature of long-term care and its requirements; the specific needs of families facing this issue; the changing role of the neoliberal State; and the ways in which global political and economic processes influence and shape an apparently individually based solution to long-term care. This book is ideal for graduate courses in sociology and anthropology, specifically in courses related to gender and migration, work and women, social inequality, and immigration studies. Today's world is aging at a great speed, and although people living longer represents one of the greatest achievements of the last century, the extension of life expectancy does not necessarily correspond to an extension of healthy lives. Aging populations, particularly those with a high percentage of oldest old, are often burdened with chronic conditions that require extended long-term care. Deciding a) who provides said care, and b) in what forms are key problems that will soon affect a growing number of post-industrial and mid-income countries. Caring for a Living contributes to this debate by exploring the organization of long-term care in Italy, a country already in the midst of an eldercare crisis. There, the answer to this problem has taken the shape of home eldercare assistance, an arrangement whereby long term care services are bought in the market in the form of private and individualized assistance by families sometimes with economic support provided by the State. The providers of these services, commonly known as "badanti" (minders), are, for the most part, immigrant women coming from different areas of the world for whom the state has made special provisions in terms of immigration law. By analyzing the emergence and development of this arrangement and the role that the state, Italian families, and the workers themselves play in shaping and in defining it, this text provides timely insights on the nature of long-term care and its requirements, on the specific needs of families facing this issue, on the changing role of the neoliberal State, and on the ways in which global political and economic processes influence and shape an apparently individually based solution to long-term care. In addition, by focusing on home eldercare assistance as an occupation, Caring for a Living provides a deeper understanding of: the tasks involved; the discrepancies between what is deemed worthy of pay and what is not; who is doing the job and why; and the ways in which gender and racial relations are produced, negotiated, and challenged among the workers, the employers, and the elders themselves.-- Provided by publisher Today's world is aging at a great speed, and although increased longevity represents one of the greatest achievements of the last century, the extension of life expectancy does not necessarily correspond to an extension of healthy lives. Aging populations, particularly those with a high percentage of the oldest old, are often burdened with chronic conditions that require extended long-term care. Deciding who provides said care, and in what forms, are key problems that will soon affect a growing number of post-industrial high- and mid-income countries. Caring for a Living contributes to this debate by exploring the organization of long-term care in Italy, a country already in the midst of an eldercare crisis. There, the answer to this problem has taken the shape of home eldercare assistance, an arrangement whereby long-term care services are bought in the market in the form of private and individualized assistance by families sometimes with economic support provided by the State. The providers of these services, commonly known as "badanti" (minders), are, for the most part, im/migrant women coming from different areas of the world. Caring for a Living analyzes the emergence and development of this arrangement and the role that the state, Italian families, and workers themselves play in shaping and in defining it. The author provides timely insights on: the nature of long-term care and its requirements; the specific needs of families facing this issue; the changing role of the neoliberal State; and the ways in which global political and economic processes influence and shape an apparently individually based solution to long-term care. This book is ideal for graduate courses in sociology and anthropology, specifically in courses related to gender and migration, work and women, social inequality, and immigration studies. The World Is Aging At A Great Speed. While This Is A Remarkable Achievement, Aging Also Brings New Challenges, Among Them A Growing Need For Long-term Care. 'caring For A Living' Specifically Investigates Italy's Employment Of Home Eldercare Assistance, An Arrangement Whereby Long Term Care Services Are Bought In The Market In The Form Of Private And Individualized Assistance - Predominantly Female Immigrants. The Changing Landscape Of Eldercare -- The New Faces Of Eldercare -- The Italian Case -- The Burden Of Long-term Care: Its Cultural, Economic And Social Aspects -- The Shaping Of New Subjects -- Skilling The Unskilled: The Multiple Dimensions Of Eldercare -- The Bonds Of Labor -- Concluding Thoughts. Francesca Degiuli. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The world is aging at a great speed. While this is a remarkable achievement, aging also brings new challenges, among them a growing need for long-term care. 'Caring for a Living' specifically investigates Italy's employment of home eldercare assistance, an arrangement whereby long term care services are bought in the market in the form of private and individualized assistance - predominantly female immigrants.--Résumé de l'éditeur