2024-01-04 21:25:46
People in need of care continue to postpone moving to a nursing home. Until 2019, the average lifespan that people in need of care spent in geriatric care facilities was stable for years. Since then, the length of stay in inpatient care for the elderly has fallen continuously – this is the result of a nationwide survey by the German Caritas Association. 282 inpatient facilities took part.
The average length of stay for residents has decreased by three months within four years and is now 25 months. Almost half of the Caritas geriatric care facilities surveyed stated that more than 30 percent of the residents died in the facility in the first year. Caritas President Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa says: “We have heard again and again in recent years that people are staying in nursing homes for shorter and shorter periods of time. This has now also been reflected in the numbers.” The Caritas results would also fit in with other studies such as the Barmer care report.
No corona effect
The survey refuted Caritas’ original assumption that the shorter length of stay in nursing homes was due to a corona effect: according to the facilities, only a negligible proportion of residents stated that they did not stay in an inpatient facility for fear of infection wanted to be cared for. Rather, the desire to stay in one’s own home for as long as possible is the most frequently cited reason. In addition, many people in need of care are worried about the high amount of personal contributions they have to make – they often do not want to use up their savings for care, but instead want to pass on as much of it as possible to their children, says Welskop-Deffaa. According to the survey, other reasons include the long waiting lists in geriatric care facilities and the ability to cope with outpatient care.
It is precisely for this reason that Caritas points to the importance of outpatient care in Germany, which it believes needs to be strengthened. “We have never had as many people in need of care as we do today,” says Welskop-Deffaa. Although the number of outpatient care services is growing, the ratio between full-time equivalents in outpatient care and those in need of care has actually fallen slightly. “The number of older people and the number of people in need of care is increasing,” says the Caritas President. If you look at this need, you have to say: “We have underestimated the importance of outpatient care politically and socially.”
Outpatient care was neglected
In Germany, the focus has recently been too much on inpatient facilities, which, according to Welskop-Deffaa, cannot meet the coming demand, “firstly because people want to stay at home and secondly because we don’t have the staff to care for all the old people those who become in need of care should be cared for in inpatient facilities”. That is also the main conclusion of the Caritas survey: Politicians should finally pay more attention to outpatient care and not neglect it so dramatically in the political discourse.
Even though Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) recently presented key points for a nursing competence law to expand the responsibilities of nursing professionals, the Caritas President complains that this only expresses intentions and that there is no draft law yet. She points out that the last strengthening of nursing skills took two and a half years before it could be implemented. Nevertheless, she welcomes the academization and expansion of the nursing profession because it makes the profession more attractive and offers opportunities for advancement by allowing people to take on more responsibility.
Christian Geinitz, Berlin Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3
The Caritas President says: “I have the impression that Mr. Lauterbach is primarily reacting to gaps in the area of primary care and is finally taking up suggestions that we have been making for a long time. However, this does not automatically mean that the volume of working hours in nursing is greater.” However, the tasks would grow. It is already the case that less than half of the employees in outpatient care services in Germany are skilled workers because the range of tasks is so large and also includes simple activities such as household-related services.
“Overall, the number of nursing staff in outpatient care must definitely increase, the job profile must remain interesting and the economic conditions for outpatient care services must be sufficiently secure,” demands Welskop-Deffaa. In rural areas in particular, there are significant liquidity problems and sometimes also economic difficulties because the financing of various services is not sufficiently secured. “That’s why we have serious concerns about outpatient care.”
#care #stay #homes #longer