U.S. looks to Swedish elder services

PHILADELPHIA, June 28 (UPI) -- Services for older adults in Sweden are controlled locally, are tightly associated with elder needs and families are more involved than in U.S. services.

Sweden, which has a population of 9 million, is organized into 290 municipalities, each of which has nearly complete control of the provision of its services for older adults, according to Adam Davey, of Philadelphia's Temple University.

The municipalities can decide how best to meet changing needs, and how needs may change in the future. Similar services in the United States are determined by a mix of federal, state, and local responsibility, and some may be covered by programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

"Right now, there is simply no good way to evaluate what works and what doesn't in the United States as a whole," Davey said in a statement. "The system is fragmented and not well coordinated."

Aging U.S. adults should evaluate availability, accessibility and quality services in the area they plan to retire because there is tremendous variability in different parts of the country and within states, according to the study in the July issue of Aging and Society.