Seniors in Carinthia: New care offers and creative cultural projects!

Seniors in Carinthia: New care offers and creative cultural projects!

The Carinthian Senior Citizens' Advisory Board met on Monday in Klagenfurt and put current projects and emotional moments from the past few weeks at the center of the discussion. The state councilors Beate Prettner and Sara Schaar informed the participants about new offers in care and education for older people. Beate Prettner presented the significant expansion of local nursing care, which is already taking place in over 100 Carinthian communities. The initiative aims to offer seniors the opportunity to live independently in their homes while relieving the burden on relatives.

Mobile teams are available to offer direct advice and support to people. A positive finding from the initial evaluations is that the need for care is often less serious than expected, which underlines the preventive power of the new model. Around 600 volunteers get involved by taking on trips, accompanying them to doctor's visits or simply spending time with seniors.

Educational opportunities and volunteer work

Another point of the meeting was Sara Schaar's announcement that the “Active and Fit in Old Age” campaign will be extended by one week in 2025. A total of six dates will be offered to increase participation. Despite the current austerity constraints, the WIR education bonus is very popular, as can be seen from the over 800 applications submitted last year. Offers such as language courses, computer training and exercise programs are particularly in demand.

An emotional moment of silence also commemorated the recently deceased artist Heimo Luxbacher, who received numerous awards and made a lasting contribution to cross-generational cultural work in Carinthia. Luxbacher's work led to the creation of creative exchange spaces in more than 50 communities, which are visually represented by glowing columns, designed by young and old.

Support for those in need of care

Need for care does not necessarily mean that a person has to move into a home. This fact was emphasized at the meeting, as many affected people can often remain in their own homes with special support. Outpatient services, such as those from Maltese offered, ensure that guaranteed nursing staff come home at agreed times. Care is provided in close cooperation with family doctors.

The services offered include both basic care, such as personal care and help in the household, as well as specialized treatment care, which includes blood pressure measurements, medication administration and wound care. This type of support is also crucial because many people in need of care are usually cared for by relatives and volunteers. According to the information from healthy.bund.de It is essential that relatives and carers receive adequate social security if they provide care for more than ten hours per week.

Care services are financed by nursing care insurance, with subsidies for care and care costs starting from care level 2. However, these subsidies do not cover all costs, so personal contributions are required. Although residential care facilities are an option, current programs show that many older adults' preference is for outpatient care.