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Urgent questions are raised by the major challenges of our “ageing” societies’ organisation of care: frailty, dementia, social isolation, families’ decreasing capacity to care, care migration, disappearance of social infrastructure in rural regions, digitalization, and controversial political and social-ethical orientations:

• How can we ensure social participation in all phases of life, especially by marginalised people?
• How can we arrange wise interlinkages between informal and formal care?
• What are the potentials and risks involved in new care technologies?
• What are the implications of the “commodification” of care for caring cultures?
• How can we enable dying in familiar environments?
• How can we create (gender) fair job, family and care work roles?

The “caring-answers” of our institutions and professions, centered on modern industrial societies, are reaching their limits. While novel “caring ways of life” are beginning to evolve, an appropriate “policy of care” has not yet begun to emerge.

Dr Wegleitner will reflect on the upcoming challenges for the social organisation of aged and end-of-life care. Drawing on his experience of promoting caring communities and current interdisciplinary care discourses, his presentation should enable a critical discussion of ideas and future prospects for the social-ethical and political preconditions of a caring society.

BIOGRAPHY:

Klaus Wegleitner has studied sociology, social sciences, philosophy and political science and teaches applied ethics for Masters and Doctoral students. His research addresses developing and transforming health care systems and social care networks for older people and end-of-life care. His interests include end-of life care
and public health perspectives, questions of social justice, the democratisation of care and sustainability. A major aspect of his research promotes and develops cultures of care in organizations and regions and strengthens community and citizen-led end-of-life care through Caring/Compassionate Communities.