Future of Health: Conference on the care of older people in Villach!

Future of Health: Conference on the care of older people in Villach!

Fachhochschule Kärnten - Campus Villach, Europastraße 4, 9524 Villach, Austria - Demographic development in Austria presents the health system with considerable challenges. According to OTS , the proportion of over 64-year-olds will increase to the total population to around 25 percent. In 2024, this proportion was already around 20 percent, and by 2050 it will probably increase to 28 percent. The proportionate increase in over 74-year-olds, which will reach over 12 percent by 2035, is particularly striking, which was still below 10 percent in 2024 and is expected to achieve almost 17 percent in 2050.

In rural regions, the aging of the population will progress even faster. It is expected that in some Austrian federal states the proportion of population will be over 30 percent in retirement age by 2035. This results in urgent needs for new impulses and solutions for regional health care, which are to be discussed as part of a conference program.

conference on regional health care

The aging research center IARA of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences offers a conference on May 21 and 22, 2025, which deals intensively with the topic. On the first day, the conference will take place online in English, while the second day on site in Villach will be held in German. The topics range from Community Nursing-Pilot projects to experiences from the USA and the Netherlands to decentralized care concepts. Iara has already evaluated Austria-wide Community Nursing-Pilot projects in order to better understand the needs of the population.

In the context of demographic change, it is crucial that health care adapts to the changed age structure. rm Kurier emphasizes that the increasing life expectancy and the falling birth rates lead to an increase in older population, which presents the health system of challenges. Older people often need more medical services and require adapted concepts in the field of care and treatment.

innovative solutions and challenges

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dementia means that the medical structures must be adapted to meet the needs of an aging population. Prevention programs, early diagnoses and individual treatment plans gain in importance in order to prevent diseases at an early stage. Digital technologies such as telemedicine and health apps help to improve access to medical care.

A central problem is the personnel bottlenecks in the nursing profession. Innovative care concepts, such as outpatient care and assisted living, show approaches to deal with these challenges. In addition, the financing of health care is increasingly becoming a central question that needs to be addressed. The education of health competence and the promotion of social networks are additional factors that can improve the quality of life of older people.

Overall, it can be seen that demographic change is not only a challenge for Austria, but also affects numerous countries such as Japan, South Korea and China worldwide. The combination of prevention, digitization and innovative care concepts will be crucial to ensure high -quality and nationwide medical care in aging companies.

For the conference on May 21 and 22, 2025, registrations are possible until May 12, 2025 at the e-mail address iara@fh-kaernten.at. The event offers an excellent opportunity to exchange and inform about current trends and solutions in health care.