Äldreboomen slår ner- hur politiker konstruerar framtidens äldreomsorg

Sammanfattning: In Sweden the care of elderly is often criticized. Knowing that the average life expectancy is steadily increasing as well as the population of elderly we wished to examine how society is planning for the future. Thus the purpose of this study was to understand how politicians at municipal level construct future needs of, problems and possible solutions for the care of elderly. Six politicians of the care sector in the city of Helsingborg, were interviewed. The interviews dealt with themes such as resources, availability, quality and future needs. Semi-structured interviews revealed the politicians perspective on the future. The analysis was based on Gøsta Esping-Andersens theory regarding welfare regimes and the way politicians are constructing thoughts from a future perspective through discursive psychology. The politicians constructed a future elderly care that embraces individualism and the element of choice. Currently there are no complete plans or propositions on how the municipality will adjust to the higher demand on elderly care. Based on how the politicians constructed the future elderly will be more likely to buy private services on the market and rely more on their family members such as their children, for help in their daily lives. According to the politicians construction of the future a new welfare regime is likely to take place.