Seniors' Council: Nursing home not affordable for many pensioners
According to the State Seniors' Council, a place in a care home is becoming unaffordable for many older people. "With an average pension of around 1,500 euros, a nursing home is no longer affordable for the majority of older people," says Eckart Hammer, Chairman of the State Seniors' Council. He advises older people to make provisions early on and postpone the need for care for as long as possible. In his view, this could be achieved through a good network in the neighborhood, early "elective affinities" and outpatient shared apartments.
After all, nursing home care is becoming increasingly expensive. Senior citizens in Baden-Württemberg have to dig particularly deep into their pockets, where, according to an evaluation by the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (vdek), the average co-payment for a place in the first year was 2913 euros per month as of July 1. Nationwide, the figure was 2548 euros. The fact that some nursing home residents are no longer able to pay the co-payment themselves has also been noted by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs.
The rising costs of nursing home care are a significant social affair for seniors, as many can no longer afford it with their pension income. To address this issue, Eckart Hammer of the State Seniors' Council suggests building strong community networks and exploring outpatient shared living options for senior care.
Source: www.dpa.com
