• A steadily growing share of the money that governments are spending on care is flowing into the coffers of transnational corporations. This market has huge potential, with €220 billion of public funds paid each year to all care operators, according to OECD data. 
• For-profit companies are running an important part of the social infrastructure. The 25 largest corporations in Europe already manage homes for more than 455,000 people in need. Their capacity grew by 22% in four years, according to IE research based on numbers from the commercial data provider, Pflegemarkt.com.
• Some corporations actively hinder their workers from forming unions and fighting for better working conditions. Caregivers who attempt to do so have to reckon with serious consequences.
• Financial investors are also entering the care market on a large scale. Investigate Europe has identified 30 private equity funds active in the market. These anonymous investors often avoid taxation on their profits that have been made with public money. They do this by shifting their proceeds to offshore centres.
• Increasing privatisation in many EU countries is accompanied by cuts in staff and deficiencies in the quality of care. Governments are allowing this to go unchecked and are failing to enforce minimum care standards in many places.
• In many of the investigated countries, quality checks and inspections are done very rarely, or are based on paperwork only.

How much do governments spend on elder care?