Although 60 are free

335 disabled people are urgently waiting for a place in a home

More than 4,500 people with disabilities are cared for in homes in Upper Austria, such as here at LPBZ Schloss Gschwendt.

(Bild: Einöder Horst)

The shortage of staff does not stop at care for the disabled, as a response to an inquiry by the Provincial Councillor for Social Affairs shows. Although more than 300 disabled people in Upper Austria are urgently waiting for a place in a home, 60 free places cannot be filled due to a lack of skilled staff.

For years there has been a struggle for skilled workers in the care of the elderly and sick - the SPÖ has now questioned the situation in the care of the disabled in the state parliament. The answer to the question from the State Councillor for Social Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) has been available since Monday. His conclusion: the staffing situation for providers in the area of the Equal Opportunities Act is not yet as tense as in other areas, "although individual providers and facilities in some regions are already under great pressure".

More than 4500 people in care
As of December 31, 2023, just over 4,500 people with disabilities were being cared for and 108 "accompanied" in Upper Austrian care homes. 335 people with a very urgent need for care or support are registered. 60 places could not have been filled at the end of the year - due to a lack of staff, which Hattmannsdorfer is not prepared to accept.

Six Filipino specialists
As in the care of the elderly and sick, he is also pushing the recruitment of staff from third countries in the area of care for the disabled. Six Filipino specialists are now working at the Diakoniewerk and the Hartheim Institute. In addition, school fees are no longer charged for training to work with the disabled.

"Vacancies filled quickly"
The Provincial Councillor is convinced that the measures are working, as vacancies can be filled quickly for the most part: almost 50% within three months and 77% within six months. "Only 52 personnel units were not filled over a longer period of time."

This is not enough for Peter Binder, social spokesman for the SPÖ. Although a further 303 residential places are planned in the coming years, there are 618 people who "urgently", "in six months" or "in a year" need a fully supervised residential place. Hattmannsdorfer is challenged, says Binder, because: "We urgently need a construction turbo."