Can I Afford Care Later? Majority of Austrians Concerned About Situation

According to the Volkshilfe Social Barometer, 60 percent of people are worried about not being able to afford care in old age. Almost nine out of ten people also expressed that more money should be allocated for care, said Volkshilfe Director Erich Fenninger at a press conference on Wednesday. A survey by the Chamber of Labour (AK) Upper Austria also showed that while the care profession is meaningful, it is also burdensome.

Older and poorer people increasingly plagued by concerns about the care situation

Concerns about the affordability of care are especially prevalent among people with a lower household income up to 1,500 euros (74 percent) and people aged 75 and over (70 percent). People up to 30 years old are less concerned (44 percent) - they have, according to Fenninger, less personal and family experience with the issue. "Many of us will be affected by it ourselves at some point," reminded the Volkshilfe Director. For the representative Social Barometer, 1,032 people aged 15 and over were surveyed (margin of error 3.1 percent).

Three quarters of all respondents feel abandoned by politics in Austria

Additionally, 74 percent of all respondents believe that politics leaves families alone with the responsibility for the care of relatives; and 88 percent are in favor of politics providing more money for care. Fenninger proposes a "care insurance" funded by an inheritance tax - this could bring "fresh money" during budget consolidation.

Social participation for those in need of care must be enabled

88 percent want a reform of the care allowance so that the actual care needs are covered. It must be more strongly considered how to support the person in need of care so that, for example, social participation is possible, said Teresa Millner-Kurzbauer, head of the care and support as well as dementia assistance department at Volkshilfe. She also called for the expansion of mobile, semi-stationary, and stationary services for those suffering from dementia. Additionally, Volkshilfe desires the strengthening of caregiving relatives, the upgrading of care professions, a digital fund, and an end to the fragmentation of the care system in the country.

Young Talent Can No Longer Keep Up with Demand in Care

The care reform in recent years has included 45 measures, but these have not reached the people, said Millner-Kurzbauer. Fenninger mentioned the shortage of personnel as a problem - if we want to maintain the 2019 level in the long-term and acute care sectors, more than 22,400 care workers will be missing by 2030. Meanwhile, due to the aging society, more people in need of care are coming. However, there is also an increasing number of people aspiring to care professions, according to Fenninger.

Enormous Burden on Care Workers - AK Wants Relief

54 percent of care workers find their profession meaningful according to the results of the Labor Climate Index of the AK Upper Austria presented on Wednesday - compared to 34 percent of people in other jobs. Project manager Martin Oppenauer from the Institute for Empirical Social Research (IFES) also spoke of very unhealthy working conditions - in addition to a lack of personnel, there are unhealthy working hours. 38 percent of care workers feel heavily burdened by time pressure, 53 percent report above-average physical strain, and 59 percent consider it unlikely to endure until retirement - with these values being higher than in other professions.

According to AK Upper Austria President Andreas Stangl, more stable work schedules, more flexible employers, and full-time suitable childcare would provide relief. He also spoke out against permanent on-call duties.

The inclusion of care workers in the heavy labor regulation, which the government has announced, is seen positively by Stangl and Fenninger. However, the necessary 45 insurance years for retirement at 60 years would not be feasible in care, said the Volkshilfe director. They want to negotiate with the Ministry of Social Affairs so that more people can take advantage of the regulation.

(APA/Red)

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