3rd International Symposium on Transnational Aging: "Long-term care for the elderly across borders"
Institute of Education, University of Mainz, Germany
October 6-7, 2016
Call for Abstracts
Due to demographic changes old age care systems in many industrialized countries have become under pressure. Rising public and private costs as well as serious concerns about the quality of elderly care characterize current debates. At the same time, responsibilities between the market, the state, the family, and third sector organisations are re-defined and re-negotiated. In this context, we observe the emergence of new LTC arrangements that span the borders of nation-states. The employment of 24/7 migrant care workers in many European and North American countries, the establishment of old age facilities for “Western” elderly in low cost countries as well as the increasing border crossing influences on local LTC services (for instance by recruitment programs for care workers from abroad) are some examples of this development. Despite the raising academic and public awareness of this development especially the user’s perspective still remains largely unexplored.
Recent developments also show that transnational care arrangements are influenced by the general trend of an increasing diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into LTC for the elderly. Assisted living systems or health care apps apparently reduce the necessity of physical co-presence while instant voice messaging or web based video conferencing generate new forms of virtual togetherness. For transnational families, for example, this might offer new possibilities of care for the elderly from the distance. However, little is known about the function, meaning and significance of ICTs in LTC for the elderly in general and in transnational contexts in particular.
The symposium encourages the exchange of ideas that help to explore, understand and theorize transnational LTC for the elderly as well as its relation to ITCs. Accordingly, we invite empirical and methodological as well as theoretical contributions from the social sciences and related disciplines. Questions of interest include but are not limited to the following:
Participants will be selected based on abstracts, which should not exceed 400 words and must be submitted via email by April 15, 2016 to the following email address: aging@transsos.com .
Location and date: The workshop will take place at the Institute of Education, University of Mainz, Germany, October 6-7, 2016.
Organization: The symposium is organized by the research group Transnational Aging in cooperation with the Research Center Transnational Social Support (TRANSSOS) at the Institute of Education, University of Mainz (Germany).
Symposium committee: Désirée Bender, Sonja Großmann, Tina Hollstein, Vincent Horn and Cornelia Schweppe
Institute of Education, University of Mainz, Germany
October 6-7, 2016
Call for Abstracts
Due to demographic changes old age care systems in many industrialized countries have become under pressure. Rising public and private costs as well as serious concerns about the quality of elderly care characterize current debates. At the same time, responsibilities between the market, the state, the family, and third sector organisations are re-defined and re-negotiated. In this context, we observe the emergence of new LTC arrangements that span the borders of nation-states. The employment of 24/7 migrant care workers in many European and North American countries, the establishment of old age facilities for “Western” elderly in low cost countries as well as the increasing border crossing influences on local LTC services (for instance by recruitment programs for care workers from abroad) are some examples of this development. Despite the raising academic and public awareness of this development especially the user’s perspective still remains largely unexplored.
Recent developments also show that transnational care arrangements are influenced by the general trend of an increasing diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into LTC for the elderly. Assisted living systems or health care apps apparently reduce the necessity of physical co-presence while instant voice messaging or web based video conferencing generate new forms of virtual togetherness. For transnational families, for example, this might offer new possibilities of care for the elderly from the distance. However, little is known about the function, meaning and significance of ICTs in LTC for the elderly in general and in transnational contexts in particular.
The symposium encourages the exchange of ideas that help to explore, understand and theorize transnational LTC for the elderly as well as its relation to ITCs. Accordingly, we invite empirical and methodological as well as theoretical contributions from the social sciences and related disciplines. Questions of interest include but are not limited to the following:
- How do transnational developments in LTC relate to the needs, demands and rights of the elderly and other actors involved? What social chances and costs are implied? Who profits from this development and who does not?
- How is care delivered and what concepts of care emerge in transnational LTC arrangements? How are the elderly positioned in these arrangements and how do they impact their agency?
- How are ICTs used in transnational LTC arrangements and with what consequences? How do ICTs alter the nature of social interaction in the context of LTC for the elderly and how can we theorize these new ICT-human relationships?
Participants will be selected based on abstracts, which should not exceed 400 words and must be submitted via email by April 15, 2016 to the following email address: aging@transsos.com .
Location and date: The workshop will take place at the Institute of Education, University of Mainz, Germany, October 6-7, 2016.
Organization: The symposium is organized by the research group Transnational Aging in cooperation with the Research Center Transnational Social Support (TRANSSOS) at the Institute of Education, University of Mainz (Germany).
Symposium committee: Désirée Bender, Sonja Großmann, Tina Hollstein, Vincent Horn and Cornelia Schweppe
