Introduction

Italy has one of the lowest birth rates and highest levels of life expectancy in Europe. As a result, the traditional multi-generational home with ‘Mamma’ at the centre is not necessarily as common as it may have been decades ago. A significant number of older people have resorted to taking on immigrant women as live-in carers, who effectively assume the role traditionally played by a daughter, daughter-in-law or niece. This trend has become so common that a special term has been created to designate these women: badanti. Moreover, the Italian government has introduced special concessions in immigration law to secure legal residence status for the badanti. The growth of the badanti population, however, raises several concerns. There is a chronic shortage of care workers trained to work with older people and badanti, like other care workers, require training and skills development. As single immigrant women, badanti are socially isolated and often lack proper social protection and social networks of their own. There is the need for communication and coordination between home care provided by badanti and community services. And most importantly: who will care for the badanti when they, in turn, grow old?