Long-term Care Local Ecosystems: a proposal for evaluation

Abstract

Demographic change and aging are general trends that have led to an increase in the demand for longterm care. The covid-19 pandemic bought this need for care to the forefront of the political agenda. In response, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the Basque Government have begun to support innovative public-community initiatives called Local Care Ecosystems. This article describes the design of an evaluation process guided by Theory of Change, which was developed by the pioneering initiative Pasaia Zaintza HerriLab [Pasaia Care Local Laboratory] for the development of a Local Care Ecosystem in the local municipality of Pasaia, Gipuzkoa. The paper provides useful insights for evaluating other publiccommunity care initiatives and contributes to promoting a culture of evaluation within the institutions.