Getting older in Lübeck – prevention for the elderly

The age structure of the city Lübeck has changed increasingly since 2009: The amount of people at an advanced age rised significantly. As a result, it is necessary to offer much more preventive interventions for elderly people, which ensure a healthy and active aging. According to the Deutschen Institut für angewandte Pflegeforschung in Köln (2012), there is a need for improvement for the following aspects in elderly citizens’ work:

  • Low awareness of existing offers and local contacts for elderly people.
  • Suitable, early support for older people in need of support which is so far only provided by self-initiative.
  • Result: Offers are requested too late if the need for support has already set.
  • Entry into the nursing care system takes place only after being classified in the long-term care insurance

The goal of prevention in elderly citizens’ work is therefore to inform, educate and sensitize citizens to their health through counseling and support services. Based on these findings, a common additionally report from the department for social security and the health department to the overall concept of life and housing in old age / specifically on prevention in old age followed. The result of the Social Committee of 02.06.2015 called for the concept of “prevention in old age / preventive home visits” to be pursued.

In order to be able to use digital devices, the citizens’ survey mentioned, issues like the acquisition of devices, the opportunities of digitization in terms of contact, but also the need for help for people explaining the equipment to elderly people. Without professional help, digitization can not be implemented. Digitization also matters in the “WIPP project”, in which the city of Lübeck is a network partner. The Interreg5a funded WIPP project aims to promote healthy and active aging in North Germany and South Denmark. The project uses an innovative digital training as a single intervention to promote the health of elderly people. Furthermore, the citizens expressed their wishes to receive information about municipality management, neighborhood assistance and about offers for everylife in the municipality. They want to know about the use of public facilities and special offers, too. The concept of living and housing in old age will continue in the future to pursue the goal of “enabling a self-determined, but also co-responsible aging in your own apartment in the municipality” (Hansestadt Lübeck, 2018). The suggestions of the citizens are taken into account by the results of the survey.

 

Contact:

Hansestadt Lübeck, Bereich Soziale Sicherung, Matthias Wulf, matthias.wulf@luebeck.de, Telefon 0049 451 122 5170

Hansestadt Lübeck, Gesundheitsamt, Dr. Michael Hamschmidt, michael.hamschmidt@luebeck.de, Telefon 0049 451 122 5300