Caring for the carers: Policy analysis of informal care provision in Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

The segment of long-term care is mostly neglected in the field of social protection in BiH. Existing measures are aimed solely at people who need long- term care, and in the form of a cash benefit, placement in social protection institutions and certain in-kind services. Despite their important role in the long-term care system, persons who provide informal care are not recognized as a category of importance in the field of social protection in BiH.

This project focuses on the long-term care system in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia, and the way system addresses the needs of people in need for long-term care, such as the elderly, people with chronic diseases, persons with disabilities who cannot take care of themselves and others. A particular emphasis, within the study, is placed on the informal care and the position of informal caregivers within the long-term care system, with the aim to examine the current situation when it comes to long-term care policies in BiH and Macedonia, and to identify measures which will take into account the needs and experiences of informal carers in order to improve their position.

The main outputs of the project are 2 country-specific policy briefs and one-pagers, one round table organized in each country and up to 10 advocacy meetings. 

The project is financed by Regional Research Promotion Programme (RRPP) which is aimed at fostering and promoting social science research in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia). The RRPP is coordinated and operated by the Interfaculty Institute for Central and Eastern Europe (IICEE) at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). The programme is fully funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. More information about the RRPP program is available at the following link.