Obstacles to caring institutions in eldercare: The Czech Republic as absocial laboratory of capitalist transformation

The issue of eldercare is becoming more and more important in late modern societies due to the aging of the population and the growing need for care. The article deals with formal care for older people (in residential facilities and home care) with a focus on the Czech Republic as one of the former real-socialist countries. Here, a significant transformation of the eldercare system began to take shape in the wake of capitalist transformation. However, it also took place in a society with relatively egalitarian societal attitudes and expectations. The article draws from qualitative research based on interviews with care workers in direct care and expert interviews with professionals working at different levels of eldercare system in the Czech Republic. Our analysis is based on the feminist theory of care that allows us to critically reflect on both the changes and the unintended consequen- ces of the public care policies settings, and the perspectives of communication partners on how to provide quality care. Our goal is to identify elements that are perceived positively in connection with the rules setup and which, from the point of view of individual actors in formal care, help to create a genuine environment of caring institutions.

Artykuł dotyczy zinstytucjonalizowanej opieki nad osobami starszymi (w formie usług stacjonarnych i środowiskowych), ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem Republiki Czeskiej jako jednego z byłych krajów socjalistycznych. Po transformacji kapitalistycznej w Czechach nastąpiła znacząca transformacja systemu opieki nad osobami starszymi. Towarzyszyły jej jednak stosunkowo egalitarne postawy i oczekiwania społeczne. Artykuł czerpie z badań jakościowych opartych na wywiadach z pracownikami świadczącymi usługi opiekuńcze