Paola Severini Melograni is a passionate woman, as well as a very busy journalist. For years with his Or even No follows stories of inclusion and disability on Rai with competence and sensitivityproviding useful service information. For associations and families she is a precious point of reference and many write to her, asking for help or simply to listen. When he says that the situation of family caregivers in Italy is an emergency, he does so because he knows well how difficult daily life can be for those who have to take care of a partner, a parent or a child in fragile conditions. He knows reality better than many politicians, more committed to producing proposal after proposal of law – there are 16 filed – than to looking for a concrete solution. She has a precise idea of what is needed. And he will discuss it in a special episode of his program, broadcast on 8 December on Rai Tre, together with many guests.
Paola Severini, let’s make an identikit of family caregivers. Who are they, what age are they?
Difficult to quantify them. There are a few million, but there is a hidden economy that is difficult to discover. What is certain is that 58 percent are women; they are more burdened by the care of fragile relatives. One of the many problems is also the age of the caregivers which is quite high: 13 percent are between 65 and 74 years old. And as many as 8.4 are over 75 years old, according to Censis calculations based on Istat data. In an aging country like Italy, we are approaching a perspective of caregivers who need caregivers.
«We need a long-term vision»
And who are the patients?
One third are elderly, two thirds are young with long life prospects, because average life expectancy is getting longer. But who will take care of these young people when they are adults and their parents are no longer there? A long-term vision is needed. Every day I receive phone calls from friends and colleagues asking me if I know anyone who can act as a carer for a relative. But we know that it’s lucky, and it’s not for all budgets. In Italy, by tradition, by culture, we care about keeping loved ones close to us, at home. In other countries there is a different approach to residential care facilities. The hospital told one of my colleagues that her mother with Alzheimer’s would remain in bed. She took her home and now she is fine, paints and sings. There is a saving for healthcare costs, but who bears the burden of managing an elderly person with problems?
Paola Severini Melograni created and hosts the Rai O also No program.
«For caregivers it is a life sentence»
In exchange for so much effort, what do caregivers receive?
Nothing. Let’s think about the parents of a boy with a serious disability, for them it is a life sentence. During Covid the mother of a young man with a serious autism spectrum disorder often called me: he screamed all day because he wanted to go out and couldn’t. The woman was alone, her husband couldn’t stand it and left. Let’s also think about those who live with a parent who has Alzheimer’s, we have 600 thousand cases in Italy, and it’s very hard. We thought that after the pandemic there would be more attention, but that wasn’t the case.
What risks do they face?
The most relevant is poverty and social exclusion. In a family where there is a disabled child and an elderly grandparent in need of assistance, one of the two parents – probably the mother – will end up having to leave work to dedicate herself to care. And this will lead to a difficult economic situation as well as an impact on emotional stability.
What should be done to help them?
For example, tax relief for donations, in order to incentivize companies, foundations and private individuals who want to alleviate the suffering of these families. We need contributions, benefits and conciliation policies for those who work. It’s a housing policy, thinking about home ownership to ensure that disabled people from different families can live together, with help, when their parents are no longer around. There are many initiatives to be put in place. And what do the institutions do instead? A Table. In Italy, when you don’t want to solve problems, commissions or tables are created. They are useless. Rather, what is needed is a call to responsibility.
Four regions are moving
There will also be some positive examples among the public.
Yes, four regions have started to move, especially with regards to assistance for the very seriously ill. The one that is moving best, without a doubt, is Emilia Romagna, which has increased the care allowance, provides home care and has day facilities for the disabled. Tuscany focuses on community homes, Calabria has financed residential structures. The most interesting case is that of the regional framework law n. 5 of 11 April 2024 of Lazio: recognizes and supports caregivers who – if they have an ISEE of less than 24 thousand euros per year – can have a personal budget available for expenses relating to their psychophysical well-being. It also provides training, relief interventions with professional operators who can temporarily replace them, specialist home visits, training credits for young caregivers. A regional law that could be an excellent starting point for a national one.
Where are we at on this front?
There are 16 bills presented in the House and Senate, most “under examination”, the others in “assignment”. Some parties have presented more than one and they are all very similar. I would like to make an appeal, a call to responsibility: we need to come to an agreement, because this is an emergency and in an aging country the situation can only get worse. We organize a national conference, involving INPS, trade organisations, schools and companies. With O even No we do everything we can. Let’s hope someone listens to us. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Paola Severini Melograni with Ladri di carrozzelle, the regular guest band of O Anche No.
A special episode
On 8 December on O Even No, broadcast on RaiTre at 10am, we will talk about family caregivers
The episode of Or even No on 8 December will deal with caregivers and possible measures to help them. There will be interviews in Rome, at the Parliament, and in Milan, the capital of volunteering. Among the Roman guests of Paola Severini Melograni, some of the first signatories of the bills on the topic: Barbara Guidolin, Annamaria Furlan, Luciano Ciocchetti and Alberto Stefani. Maurizio Lupi, who has always been attentive to the issue of disability, will also participate. Among the Milanese guests, the president of the INPS Gabriele Fava, Guido Bertolaso and Elena Lucchini, regional councilors for Welfare and Disability respectively, the president of the Benedetta D’Intino Foundation Mattia Formenton, Augusta Montaruli, vice-president of the Rai Supervision Commission and Angelo Achilli , Anmic regional president. Furthermore, there will be video contributions from some caregivers who are friends of the program, including Luca Trapanese, Mimmo Pesce and Stefano Buttafuoco. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED