The long-term care sector in Aargau faces significant challenges due to rising costs, demographic changes, and a shortage of qualified workers. There are no specific efforts to implement a collaborative structure within long-term care facilities. Existing collaborations are mostly informal and lead to missed opportunities to grapple with ongoing challenges in the sector. Our study aims to identify ways to enhance collaborations between long-term care providers and recommendations for governmental entities to satisfy future service needs.

The research applied qualitative methodology to evaluate the landscape of Aargau’s LTC sector. A literature review provides insights into the situation in Aargau, but mainly into collaboration practices in other regions of Switzerland and internationally. Contextual differences to the environment in Aargau are considered. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders inside and outside of Aargau provide the data from the point of view of people involved. To analyze the data, suitable frameworks were applied to identify resource dependencies and interactions that affect collaborations.

The research identified several informal and formal collaboration structures that currently exist. Informal collaboration, such as ERFA-Groups (experience exchange groups), are widely applied in Aargau. Other informal structures include individual agreements between different LTC stakeholders. Formal collaboration structures are differentiated between medical and administrative purposes and have a much stronger effect on the involved businesses. All collaborations are limited by several factors, such as limited financial and time resources. The research provides insights into the requirements of successful collaborations. A stable economic environment, a supportive regulatory framework, and a willingness of involved parties to cooperate are the foundations of collaboration structures. Comparisons to other Regions in Switzerland and other countries provide insights into the potential directions of such collaboration methods and their application in Aargau. Finally, the research provides recommendations for different stakeholders to support upcoming and strengthening existing collaborative structures in Aargau’s LTC industry.