Caregiving for older adults in times of the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia A gendered perspective

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the care of older adults in Serbia. Under the guise of care for ‘grandpas and grandmas’, the government enforced policies, measures, and protocols that severely impacted the already fragile system for the care of older adults in Serbia, at the same time creating a situation in which those older persons who were previously independent turned completely dependent, while those who were truly in need of care were unable to get it. On the other hand, the underpaid, undervalued caregivers – the main subjects of this chapter – bore the greatest brunt of the pandemic-induced politicisation of care for older adults in Serbia. Prior to the pandemic, care of older adults was already a gendered issue, as women were the primary providers of both informal and formal care. The pandemic has exacerbated this gender imbalance. In addition, the pandemic has shed light on the shortage of skilled caregivers and the precarious position of paid care in the informal economy. The shortage of caregivers has made it even more difficult for women to balance their paid and unpaid work, and it has also led to a decline in the quality of care for older adults.