Church opens new ways: pastoral care for people in need of care in the elderly!

Church opens new ways: pastoral care for people in need of care in the elderly!

In a significant step to support people in need of care, the German Bishops' Conference published a new document on January 14, 2025, which addresses pastoral approaches to geriatric care. Under the title "Being along with people- geriatric care pastoral in response to the challenges of an aging society", the 70-page brochure will deal with how the church would like to expand its offers in the elderly and nursing aids in the future. Bishop Peter Kohlgraf emphasized that the support, especially for the growing number of people in need of care, was crucial, which will increase by a good 50 percent by 2030, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

The new orientation of the retirement home should not only be geared towards the facilities themselves, but also reach the people in their social space, as Bishop Kohlgraf explained at an online press conference. It is essential that the pastoral offers also support those who provide relatives in need of care. The emeritus auxiliary bishop Ulrich Boom added that the church wanted to pay particular attention to the vulnerable groups and that their support in difficult phases of life is one of the essential tasks of the new geriatric care pastoral. In view of the challenges during the pandemic, this became particularly clear, in which pastoral players played an important role in accompanying those affected.

new approaches for pastoral care

Bishop Kohlgraf and the pastoral commission focus on the fact that all people in geriatric care - including those in need of care, their relatives and the nurses - receive support. In an innovative approach, the concept of the "geriatric care pastoral" is presented as part of the senior pastoral, which opens up new places and models for pastoral activities. For example, programs were developed in which pastors work closely with nurses in order to get in direct contact with seniors in need of care and to better understand their needs, such as Dr. Maria Kotulek from Munich reported.

The publication of this brochure is an important step towards adapting the church to the demographic and nursing challenges of the future. The adjustments in pastoral care aim to meet the growing demands of an aging society and to promote the quality of life of those affected. How kathpress.at and dbk.de , this initiative is also understood as a response to the ubiquitous shortage of skilled workers in the nursing industry.