The care and support of older people in particular is one of the major challenges of our time. That is why Burgenland has put this area on a new footing. At the same time, one thinks about how care can be organized in the future. 87,000 Burgenlanders are older than 60 years.
The “Care Future Plan” is a building block to secure the offer for the future. This includes 21 measures, including an employment model for relatives, the non-profit status of the organizations and various forms of care. In the future, the stationary and mobile care offers are to be further expanded and new forms of living are to be created for the elderly.
Getting old at home
It is very important to the Burgenlanders to be able to grow old at home. The country wants to make sure that this is exactly possible. It is said that care cannot be borne by public institutions alone. “We want to get families on board. To do this, we have to create incentives to make care at home attractive, ”said the responsible Provincial Councilor Leo Schneemann at a meeting to prepare for the Burgenland care summit, which is to take place this year.
1700 caregivers are missing
In addition, there is a shortage of staff in the care sector. In Burgenland there is a shortage of 1,700 people in care professions, Schneemann calculates. “How do we manage to get enough people into the care sector to keep the system going? Good framework conditions must be created. Because the pressure of competition is there, ”explains the Provincial Council. One especially wants to attract young people to the industry.
3,600 people currently work in nursing, almost half of them work in hospitals.