Is it possible to provide decent care for older people in an ageing Europe, ensure fair working conditions for carers and still keep care financially affordable for families?
One of the most engaging discussions during the workshop day of ELMC 2026 focused precisely on this question. The session “Policy recommendations and practical solutions for live-in care on the edge of the demographic shift. No Staff, No Pay, No Way to Care!” was organised within the EU-funded MOBILECARE project, co-designed by Cecilia Jornod and moderated by Marek Benio. The discussion brought together Rebeca Dragos, Ada Zaorska and Radmila Obrenovic, while the audience actively participated throughout the debate.
The session was held under the patronage of the Polish Home Care Association.
The debate focused on three particularly difficult dimensions of modern live-in care: tackling the grey economy, ensuring social protection for migrant carers and organising working time and rest in 24-hour care arrangements.
Bringing care work out of the grey economy
Speakers agreed that one of the main drivers of undeclared work in care is the combination of very high costs for families and insufficient public funding.
Rebeca Dragos argued that tax incentives, care vouchers and the simplification of administrative procedures should become essential tools for reducing undeclared work. As repeatedly emphasised during the discussion, families are not businesses and should not be burdened with excessive bureaucracy.
Radmila Obrenovic proposed another solution: pension contributions for migrant carers should be paid in their countries of origin according to local contribution levels. Such an approach could both reduce costs for families and help carers avoid disappearing between different pension systems — or outside them altogether.
Audience voting showed particularly strong support for transparent contracts and less bureaucratic employment procedures.
Debt, enforcement procedures and personal bankruptcy
One of the most powerful interventions came from Ada Zaorska, who spoke about women leaving for care work abroad not only for economic reasons, but also to escape debt enforcement procedures that would absorb their legal income at home. In many cases, the debts had originally been incurred by former partners or husbands.
Ada described examples of women who entered German personal bankruptcy proceedings and, as a result, were able to return to legal employment, start paying pension contributions again and regain financial stability.
The discussion showed that debt regulation and cross-border legal cooperation may become unexpected but effective tools in reducing undeclared work in the care sector.
Does the carer live at work or work where she lives?
One of the most controversial questions concerned the distinction between working time and free time in live-in care.
How should working time be defined when carers live together with older persons 24 hours a day?
The discussion included both highly formalised shift-based models and more community-oriented solutions. At the same time, speakers pointed out that constantly changing carers may become emotionally difficult and destabilising for older people.
Radmila Obranovic and Rebeca Dragos discussed shared living models, where several older persons live together and are supported by carers working in shifts. Such solutions could allow carers to rest more effectively, reduce loneliness among seniors and partly lower care costs.
Ada Zaorska stressed, however, that many elderly people simply want to remain in their own homes — “you do not replant old trees”. At the same time, she pointed to the growing role of day-care centres for seniors, described during the discussion as “kindergartens for seniors”, which help carers regain at least part of a normal daily rhythm.
There are no simple solutions
One conclusion emerged particularly clearly throughout the entire discussion: there is no single simple solution to Europe’s growing care crisis.
What is needed is a combination of different tools — from transparent task lists and clear rules on availability and remuneration, through public co-financing, to flexible models combining home care, day-care centres and telecare solutions.
As Marek Benio concluded:
“Beware of people offering simple solutions to very complex problems.”
📸 A few moments from this session below
