Sweden and Norway : Age Care policies

From the 12th to 22th of June the Australian delegation participated in a study tour on elderly care that was held in Stockholm and Oslo.

Life expectancy in Sweden is among the highest in the world: 79.9 years for men and 83.7 years for women. As a consequence, health and social care for the elderly are important parts of Swedish welfare policy. One of the aims of elderly care is to help seniors to live normal, independent lives. This includes living in their own homes as long as possible. Most elderly care is funded by municipal taxes and government grants. In 2014, the total cost of elderly care in Sweden was USD 12.7 billion, but only 4 per cent of the cost was financed by patient charges. In 2013, Sweden was ranked at the very top in a United Nations supported global study, The Global AgeWatch Index, which examined the quality of life of the elderly in 91 nations.

Aging issues and intergenerational fairness have been important priorities in Norway. Policy on aging has to a great extent focused on a major pension reform, as well as reforms in the health and care sector to meet an ageing population, with more emphasis on preventive and primary health care, home-based care and independent living. These reforms have made Norway better equipped than many other countries, with good welfare services for the rising number of older people. In 2016, the Norwegian Government launched a broad and cross-sectorial strategy for an age-friendly society, called "More Years – More Opportunities".

During the study tour the delegation has visited many public and private organizations such as: Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, leading Nordic care company Humana, center for the development and implementation of new ideas and solutions in robotics – Robotdalen, The Norwegian National Advisory Unit for Ageing and Health, one of the Nordic region's leading care providers – Attendo and many other.