Many people fear being alone in old age. Thuringia, where half a million people belong to the 65 generation, has responded with a state program.
Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, 50 specially trained specialists are now working on site in Thuringia through a state program set up for this purpose in order to protect old people living alone from loneliness. They visit seniors at home, organize help in everyday life, for example take over the transport service to the doctor, help with applications for housing benefit or aids or teach them how to use the Internet and video telephony. With this orientation, the program called "Agathe" is unique nationwide, said Minister Heike Werner (left).
Its goal is to enable the elderly to live independently in their own households for as long as possible, to delay the need for care or to avoid it altogether. Especially those who live alone are at greater risk of their health in old age, for example due to depression or falls with a risk of injury, said Werner. "So the program is also health prevention." The "Agathe" specialists, often trained as nurses, physiotherapists or in other social professions, are for these people contact persons for offers of help and contact points - and often also partners for talking and listening.
According to official statistics, there are currently around 570,000 people aged 65 and older in Thuringia - with a total population of around 2.1 million people. The program, which was launched in 2021, is now being offered in eleven districts and urban districts, with the offers varying regionally. In the Unstrut-Hainich district, for example, "Agathe" forces look after so-called health kiosks, where people are advised and video doctor's consultations are also arranged. In Nordhausen, the specialists work together with the care base there. In the Ilm district, a rural merchant with a mobile supermarket and many contacts with older people is a partner.
According to the ministry, the state has made available a total of around 5.7 million euros to fund the program since 2021. 4.8 million are earmarked for this in 2023. The state does not bear the full costs, the municipalities have to contribute between 10 and 20 percent.
