Formal and Informal Social Security in Old Age: The Contribution of Welfare-State, Intergenerational Support and Precarity Perspectives

This chapter aims to identify the role of informal social security though intergenerational solidarity and to reveal the scope of use of formal public services (long-term care and social assistance benefits) in reducing old-age precariousness in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Our study is guided by three questions: How often older citizens use social care services themselves or those in their family? How many of them use social assistance benefits? How often they receive material support from their children and parents? This study shows that informal social security (support from family members and close relatives) still plays an important role in reducing precarity in old age in the Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The formal support provided by the state is also important, but in the case of long-term care services it is quite underdeveloped. This means that the state’s efforts are needed to reduce precarious ageing and ensure equal participation of older people in all life domains. The support of the family alone cannot ensure decency at an advanced age.