Visit of the member of the state parliament Andrea Stullich in the old people’s housing estate Caritas Marienstift
Rheine. cpr. The Landtagsabgeordnete of the CDU Andrea Stullich made in the context of its election campaign route also stop in the old person housing estate Caritas Marienstift in Rheine. Here it let itself from the specialists their view of the things in things health and old person assistance explain. Klaus Jäger, head of the Health and Aging Department, and Relana Mersch, a gerontologist in the Social Services Department, described the areas in which there is a need for action on the part of policymakers. “The general shortage of inpatient care places, especially for people with dementia, and the increasing bottlenecks in outpatient care affect us all as a society,” Jäger elaborated. “In addition, there is a discernible lack of capacity in senior citizen counseling in order to be able to take the appropriate steps in good time and as preventively as possible in the event of an impending need for care. In this context, advising and relieving the burden on caregiving relatives plays an increasingly important role.” Mersch added that people suffering from dementia in particular also require a significantly higher level of care in the inpatient sector.
Another point of discussion was the reform of the Nursing Professions Act and the associated generalist nursing training, the implementation of which was given significant support by NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann. This reform provides for all nursing trainees to receive two years of common, generalist training, in which they can choose an area of specialization in the third year. “It is still too early to evaluate this, but from our point of view it was a correct and sensible step,” said Jäger, who also welcomed the reform. “Residential care facilities for the elderly such as the Caritas Marienstift are not at a disadvantage in competition with hospitals as a result of the reform, as the daily work routine is more constant compared to hospitals. For example, caregivers will experience more relationship continuity.”
The shortage of skilled workers and the situation with trainees were also topics of the intensive exchange. “17,413 people started nursing training in NRW last year – more than ever before,” said Stullich. In the competition for trainees and skilled workers, Caritas Rheine has also had to reposition itself as an employer. By hiring foreign employees, in addition to its own training work, Caritas Rheine is also trying to counter the problem. “We can hire the people, but we would like to see faster processing of residence permits and work permits” explained Jäger, “as well as faster recognition of the professional qualifications of foreign professionals. Add to that the problem of housing shortages for new employees, especially those from abroad.” To combat the shortage of skilled nursing staff, the CDU in NRW wants to introduce a welcome payment of 3,000 euros for people from non-EU countries who have already worked as nursing professionals in their home countries, Stullich explained: “This is because they often first have to undergo an adjustment qualification here with us and are thus paid correspondingly less during their first time in Germany.” The one-time payment is intended to make it easier for them to make a new start far from home, he said.
The fact that Caritas also hires people of other religions or without a denomination is a matter of course for Jäger, but one must “share the charitable values.” Stullich promised to take these insights back to Düsseldorf. However, it was also clear to the interlocutors that these challenges cannot be solved overnight.