Nurses in Germany: Alert regional differences!

Nurses in Germany: Alert regional differences!

The increase in those in need of care in Germany shows significant regional differences. According to a current study by the scientific institute of the General Local Hospital (AOK), the highest proportions of those in need of care were to be recorded among legally insured in 2023 in East Germany and in some parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Saarland. In the districts of Barnim, Prignitz and Ostprignitz-Ruppin in Brandenburg, every sixth insured person was in need of care, while regions such as Munich and Freising only advised rates from 3.4 to 3.7 percent, such as rbb24 reported .

Overall, the number of people in need of care rose from 3.3 million in 2017 to 5.2 million in 2023. This corresponds to an increase of 57 percent, which cannot be explained solely by the aging society. In the analysis of the 2024 care report, the Wido notes that in just two out of 400 counties, the actual care prevalence corresponded to the demographically expected level. Surprisingly, the data also show that the use of maintenance services varies greatly: in West Germany, many people in need of care are particularly useful for financial support, while in East Germany, material and combination services dominate, such as Wido explained .

heterogeneous care care

The analysis indicates that factors such as the average age of the population, the proportion of dementia patients and the availability of caregivers influence the differences in the need for care in the regions. If one was only used as the basis for planning the care infrastructure, this could lead to inadequate solutions. Susann Behrendt, Head of the Nursing Research Area at Wido, emphasizes the need to take more into account regional conditions in order to be able to react to the challenges in the nursing sector.