Policies for older volunteers: A study of Germany and Italy, 1990–2008

Abstract

Older people increase their well-being and contribute to the community when they volunteer. Therefore, policy-makers sometimes consider supporting older volunteers. However, they reach different conclusions on whether they should introduce policies for older volunteers, and on what policy would be the most suitable. This article studies how policies for older volunteers emerged in Germany and Italy, both countries having one of the oldest populations in the world. It explores the political discourse on older volunteers, and how this discourse translates into policies. To do this, the article presents data collected in expert interviews and document analysis. Findings show that German policy-makers stress the contribution of volunteering to older people's well-being and have introduced policies for older volunteers. Italian policy-makers, in contrast, frame older volunteers as social service providers and have decided not to single out specific age groups in their policies for volunteers. Moreover, the policies are influenced by the policy-makers' perceptions and path-dependencies, meaning policies and institutions that were introduced in the past. These findings suggest that whether or not policies for older volunteers emerge depends less on the characteristics of the older population and more on the society and its political traditions.

Reconstructing the professional domain: Boundary work of professionals and volunteers in the context of social service reform

“…Although voluntary work is 'far from new', expectations about its contribution to the 'wellbeing of individuals and communities have never been greater' (Hardill and Baines, 2011: 21). A shift to volunteers in social services can be observed in most developed welfare states, for example, in Germany and Italy (Komp et al, 2013;Muehlebach, 2012), Scandinavian countries (Lorentzen and Henriksen, 2014;Overgaard, 2015), the UK (Hardill and Baines, 2011), the Netherlands (Verhoeven and Tonkens, 2013), Canada (Baines, 2004;Elson, 2009) and Australia (Johansson et al, 2012).…”

Moving Away, Toward, and Against: How Front-line Workers Cope with Substitution by Volunteers in Dutch Care and Welfare Services

“…Unpaid workers such as volunteers are increasingly not only expected to provide a little ‘extra’ on top of professional work (Handy and Srinivasan, 2005), but also to take over parts of professional work (Baines, 2004; Van Bochove et al , 2016; Hoad, 2002). Although cross-national (Overgaard, 2015) and cross-sector (Van Bochove et al , 2016) differences exist, a trend of ‘volunteer responsibilisation’ for such tasks is observed in a range of countries, including Germany and Italy (Komp et al , 2013; Muehlebach, 2012), Scandinavian countries (Lorentzen and Henriksen, 2014), the UK (Hardill and Baines, 2011), the Netherlands (Verhoeven and Tonkens, 2013), Canada (Baines, 2004; Elson, 2009) and Australia (Johansson et al , 2012). Much has been written on the potential threats of New Public Management (NPM) strategies (Duyvendak et al , 2006; Evetts, 2011; Harington and Bedoe, 2014; Noordegraaf, 2006; Sirotkina and van Ewijk, 2009) and ‘proto-professionalisation’ of clients (Dent, 2006; De Swaan, 1988) for professionalism.…”

I wonder if robots will take care of me when I am old: Positive aging representations of professionals working in health promotion services

“…Emphasis is placed on health maintenance rather than care (Minichiello et al, 2005) supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) policy focus on independence versus dependence, ability versus disability, and enjoyment versus endurance in old age (Lassen and Moreira, 2014). In Germany, the policy for older citizens values their active involvement and disease prevention through projects such as “Gesund älter werden” (WHO Europa, 2005) or encouraging volunteer work in old age (Komp et al, 2013; Konrath et al, 2012). Nevertheless, despite the proven relevance of positive views on aging for health in old age, no specific standards regarding how health professionals should promote these in their work exist in the German context (Tesch-Römer, 2012b).…”