Current Events
Supporting the Backbone of Long-Term Care
Informal carers — often family members or friends — provide essential support to older people and those living with chronic or cognitive conditions across Europe. Yet their contribution is too often invisible, under-recognised, and insufficiently supported by formal care systems.
This 90-minute Laurel webinar will explore how integrated long-term care systems can better enable informal carers to care safely, sustainably, and with confidence. It will focus on the skills, tools, and support structures carers need — and how health and social care services can work more effectively alongside them.
More than a discussion, this session will bring together European projects and real-world examples to highlight practical approaches to strengthening carers’ skills, resilience, and role within integrated care.
Join us to help shape a more inclusive and supportive future for informal carers across Europe.
What You’ll Learn
- How integrated care systems can better recognise and support informal carers
- Practical approaches to strengthening carers’ skills in health monitoring, medication management, and care coordination
- How to support carers’ mental health, resilience, and emotional wellbeing
- What works in practice: case studies and EU-funded initiatives supporting informal carers
- How these insights will inform Laurel’s policy work on long-term care systems
Speakers
Elisabeth Carlstedt — WELLCARE Project
Sharing insights on strengthening the mental wellbeing and resilience of long-term care workers and informal carers, and addressing occupational and non-occupational risks affecting carers’ health.
Cornelia Feichtinger — BetterCare Project
Presenting cross-national perspectives on preventing carer errors at home and improving safety for care recipients through collaboration and shared learning.
Giosuè Ruggeri and Maddalena Gambirasio — Caregiver Bergamo (Italy)
Showcasing a regional, multi-stakeholder approach to building integrated support networks for informal carers.
Lynne Dennehy — Family Carers Ireland
Sharing experience from the Family Carers Support Project, focusing on assessing carers’ needs and strengthening coping skills through accessible online support.
Who Should Attend
This session is for:
- Informal carers and carer organisations
- Health and social care professionals working with carers
- Service planners, policymakers, and system leaders
- Researchers and organisations involved in long-term care and integrated care
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This webinar will examine integrated care frameworks and innovative practices connecting these domains. It will explore multi-sectoral governance models, information-sharing mechanisms, and the role of digital tools and local ecosystems in enabling collaboration. Examples from different European regions will illustrate how hospitals, primary care, municipalities, NGOs, and digital platforms can cooperate to deliver more seamless, person-centred services.