The heavy burden of health spending on elderly care is common-place in the preoccupations of policy makers and politicians, and is constantly the focus of media attention. The attention on this subject is however rather ambivalent: stress is not placed on the «physiology» of growth in investments for a part of society that «obviously» expresses several needs and is entitled to corresponding rights; the objective complexity of the problem is presented in such a way as to make the solutions appear increasingly more difficult and not due, with the consequent rise in cultural, political and cognitive marginalisation. Analysing four model scenarios, operative solutions, feasible through a participatory way, are indicated at both the local and general levels.only subscribers can see the full article

The care epidemiology in the title is not a contradiction in term: it is where science and methodology meet in an important research institute, and also how the heath and social workers of some local health authorities in the Veneto Region see their work in the daily practice of care. The best-known point of view on the need for information in the health and social services is that to be found in national/regional planning; various sources — such as surveys and Istat’s Multi-purpose Surveys — periodically provide an important picture of the population and demographic trends, the perceived state of health and the level of non-self-sufficiency, the structure of the modern family and recourse to services. The point of view here, by contrast, is the data produced by the health services themselves, particularly at district level, which is officially responsible for integration.only subscribers can see the full article