Social policy and ageing-related care in Ireland : an exploration from a social constructionist perspective

Abstract

In the context of population ageing and increasing demands on welfare state spending, issues relating to the care of older people are at the forefront of social policy debates at national, European and international levels. Ageing-related care policy involves policymakers making political choices and taking administrative decisions about what is most appropriate for older people in need of care and their families. Ageing-related care policy is also about what happens on the ground to older people and their families when policies are implemented. At one level, studying social policy is about what these ageing-related care policies are, how they are developed, administered and implemented. However, it is also about arriving at a better understanding of the relationship between social policy and the ways in which ageing-related care is construed.