Carers organisations meet in Oslo: Nordic Carers Forum founded to advocate for family carers’ rights!
Nordic Carers Forum, a co-Nordic network, was founded on the 17th of March in Oslo by representatives of the Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and Swedish caregiver associations.
Informal care associations of the Nordic countries are concerned about the future of caregiving, one of the reasons because the number of elderly people is growing strongly and caregiving responsibilities are increasingly piling up on family members, even on to neighbours and friends.
The pressure is increased by the lack of professionals in social and health care and the inadequacy of public services in relation to meet the growing needs. The Nordic welfare society is still based on both men and women working, and also on income taxation. That’s why new solutions are needed for combining paid work and informal care/family care.
The goal of the Nordic Carers Forum is to promote Nordic research in the field and to develop fair solutions from the perspective of relatives and carers. The Forum works in collaboration with Eurocarers – a European network of informal care and research organisations.
Norwegian MPs, Nordic Council Vice-President Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen (Conservative Group) and member Tobias Drevland Lund (Norwegian Red Party) visited the Nordic Carers Forum. They were interested in acting upon reconciling paid work and informal care/family care in the Committee of Welfare in the Nordic Region.
In addition, research about gender equality and economic effects is needed in order to direct decision-making towards care that is socially and economically sustainable. Binding care responsibility often leads to interruptions in work life or even to give up gainful employment. Relatives and other informal carers are already responsible for at least 50 percent of the care in the Nordics.
The organisations will take turns in co-ordinating the forum with Norway as the first starter.
For further information please contact:
(Anita Vatland ava@parorendealliansen.no mobile + 47 91753806
Picture from founding meeting of Nordic Carers Forum Oslo March 17th 2023
From the left: Nordic Council Vice-President and Norwegian MP Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen (Conservative Group), CEO Julia Charlseson, Anhørigas Riksforbund, CEO Omaishoitat Sari Tervonen, CEO Marie Lenstrup, Pårørende I Danmark, CEO Pårørendealliansen Anita Vatland , Chairperson Organisastions for Carers network Finland Jonna Skand and Nordic Council member and Norwegian MP Tobias Drevland Lund (Norwegian Red Party)
Websites organisations:
Pårørende I Danmark/Carers Denmark https://paaroer.dk/
Pårørendealliansen/ Norwegian Alliance for informal carers https://parorendealliansen.no/
Anhørigas Riksforbund/Carers Sweden https://anhorigasriksforbund.se/
Omaishojtalat/Carers Finland https://omaishoitajat.fi/
Organisastion for Carers network Finland http://www.monetkasvot.fi/
Eurocarers – the European voice for informal carers https://eurocarers.org/
