Social Innovation in the Provision of Long-Term Care for Older People and Vulnerable Populations

Dear Colleagues,

A high percentage of the world's population will be over 65 years old in 2050, and in many countries, the average life expectancy will exceed 80 years. In most Western countries, population decline is linked to a decrease in birth rates, greater population aging and an increase in vulnerable groups. At the same time, natural disasters, political conflicts and socioeconomic disparities push large groups of people towards migration. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 280 million people were involved in global migratory movements in 2020. New demographic challenges imply assistance challenges. Population aging and vulnerability are accompanied by pluripathology, chronicity, fragility, deterioration in self-care capacity, dependency, loneliness and social isolation. Health systems are overwhelmed and are not responding to the demand for long-term care of older adults and vulnerable people in Western societies. On the other hand, migrants in the settlement phase in these host countries, essentially women, demand job opportunities to develop their life project. New health demands need to accommodate social changes. Innovative care strategies are needed that include long-term care or long-term care (LTC) systems. Incorporation of migrants into the care of older adults and vulnerable people, in homes or institutions, is an important topic for socio-health research from a broad paradigm.

This Special Issue explores the interrelationship between aging, social vulnerability, demand for long-term care and the incorporation of migrant caregivers. Public health approaches, review studies, epidemiological designs, intervention studies, care improvement and qualitative designs on the experiences of those involved in the process are welcome. Studies focused on dignity, self-care, quality of life, training, support and social integration, social change, community health and public health have a place in this Special Issue.

We are pleased to invite you to participate in this Special Issue

1) This Special Issue’s aims are as follows: learn about the socio-health innovations derived from the interrelation between immigration, new health demands, social innovation and long-term care for older people and vulnerable groups

2) Suggested themes and article types for submissions:

• Social innovations in aging societies.
• Social care for older people in domestic and community contexts. Prevention and rehabilitation in long-term care.
• Social and technological innovations in healthcare for vulnerable people. Social work with older people and vulnerable populations.
• Migration, health and wellbeing status of vulnerable caregivers.
• Migrant care workers, older adult care, and long-term care.
• Migrant care workers, training and social integration strategies.
• Migration, public health and sustainability of health systems: migrants in a family. Migration, aging and the long-term workforce.
• Sustainability policies, social enterprise and long-term care.
• Long term-care, social integration and female empowerment in migrant caregivers.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

long-term care, aging, social care, nursing care, geriatric and gerontology medicine, rehabilitation and physiotherapy, occupational therapy, family care, migration and health, sexuality and disability in long-term care, new technologies applied to long-term care, migrant care workers, caregiver overload and long-term care, migrants in a family, epidemiological design, and qualitative research.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. María del Mar Jiménez Lasserrotte
Dr. Jose Granero-Molina
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• social innovation
• long-term care
• aging
• aging in place
• care work
• employer–employee relationships
• family caregivers
• homecare
• migrant care workers, domestic workers
• foreign workers
• home caregivers
• live-in caregivers
• migrant workers
• live-in care
• migration
• social care
• satisfaction with services