eurohealthobservatory.who.int (03.04.2025) Long-term care often falls by the wayside in national policy dialogues. In some countries cultural norms compel families to look after older people at home. Some pundits may look at rising health care costs and argue that the public sector cannot shoulder more care responsibilities by expanding access to long-term care. Public long-term care systems are best placed to meet the needs of the present and the future than families. Yet in most countries, chronic underinvestment has left formal long-term care systems bereft of the resources needed to meet existing needs, let alone those of the future. Against this backdrop, the aim of this book is to set out the arguments, grounded in theory and evidence, for increased public investment in high-quality, universally accessible long-term care. Strong long-term care systems benefit everyone: households, economies, health systems, and societies. Experts from around the world provide a compelling case for why and how governments can (and should) take action.