Many older people want to stay at home for as long as possible. In the event that this is no longer possible, there are nursing homes. The personal contribution for the residents exceeds the vast majority of pensions.
Bernburg/Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - residents of nursing homes in Saxony-Anhalt sometimes have to bear significantly increasing costs for their place - and many need support from the office. A comparison of the personal contribution for facilities in Saxony-Anhalt currently shows clear differences. While the proportion increased by a single-digit percentage in some homes from November 2021 to November 2022, in others it is more than 20 percent. In many homes, around 1800 euros are due, in others well over 2000 euros. Home operators justify the development primarily with rising personnel costs and higher energy prices. Experts expect further strong increases in the new year and call for relief for the elderly.
Many residents are dependent on social assistance, said the managing director of the Awo district association Salzland, Ines Grimm-Hübner. "That's shameful." The personal contribution to inpatient full-time care in the house supported by the district association increased by around 1000 euros between 2018 and 2023 and is expected to be around 2250 euros in the coming year. The average pension in Saxony-Anhalt is around 1350 euros, as the Awo Saxony-Anhalt states. It is therefore not sufficient for many people to place in a nursing home.
Michael Fritzsching, who runs the Rosenblick retirement and nursing home in Bernburg with 70 places, also said that many of the residents also went to the office. This is the generation that created prosperity in Germany. "Emotionally it's a disaster," said Fritzsching. Since the middle of the year, the home has been paying its employees according to collective agreements for the first time. This also resulted in a strong increase in the own contribution. The increase in the fees for the nursing staff would have to be passed on one to one to the residents. Fritzsching sums up the situation as follows: "Prices have exploded, but personnel has not changed a touch."
It was simply neglected for a very long time to make the profession of geriatric nurse attractive and to present it as such. The nursing staff do their best, said Fritzsching. In view of the high inflation, however, almost nothing of the better pay will stick. The director of the home sees temporary work agencies as an additional problem, which bind caregivers to themselves and make care even more expensive than it already is. The demand for home places has not decreased.
Unlike health insurance, long-term care insurance only pays part of the costs. For residents of the home, there are costs for accommodation, meals and investments in the facilities. Since January 1st, in addition to the payments from the long-term care insurance fund, there has also been a relief surcharge that increases with the length of care. The personal contribution only for pure care falls by 5 percent in the first year in the home, by 25 percent in the second, by 45 percent in the third, and by 70 percent from the fourth year.
Barmer state chief Axel Wiedemann demanded: "The state of Saxony-Anhalt must meet its obligations and regulate the investment costs of care facilities and take them over permanently - even beyond the Corona special fund." So far, nursing home operators have had to bear the investment costs without support from the state, as Wiedemann explained. "The investment costs in Saxony-Anhalt amount to an average of 303 euros per month and place in a home. They are currently being passed on to the residents."
In addition, the rate of one-bed rooms in care facilities in Saxony-Anhalt should increase. "This is political will and should become the standard with a view to modern, contemporary care. But it makes renovation work in nursing homes unavoidable," said Wiedemann.
