New rehab concept

No more “parking” of patients in Vienna’s clinics

(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

WIGEV's care homes in Vienna are now increasingly taking over aftercare for people who are temporarily in need of help. The aim is to help people return to a settled life instead of waiting in a hospital bed for a place in a nursing home.

Vienna's healthcare landscape used to have a gap in care, WIGEV admits - namely when hospital doctors did their job but patients could not be sent home on their own. The pointless and pointlessly expensive emergency solution of "parking" patients in hospitals until they are able to care for themselves or find a place in a nursing home should now be a thing of the past.

144 places for active patient support
By the end of the year, the WIGEV care homes in Leopoldstadt and Baumgarten will have 144 places available for rehabilitation and temporary care. In addition to the health aspects, this also means bureaucratic relief for patients who are sent here by a WIGEV hospital. They officially remain "hospital patients", there is no need for negotiations between different institutions and there are no additional costs.

WIGEV General Director Kölldorfer-Leitgeb and Nursing Home Director Johannes Nadlinger(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

The concept is divided into two branches: If there is a good chance of returning to an independent life, one of 48 places is available for "remobilization and aftercare". The model has been successfully tested since 2019: 83% of patients were back home within a month - and were bid farewell with the traditional greeting: "Goodbye, but no longer here, but at the Heurigen!"

"We also take care of mental strength"
It's not just about physiotherapy and the like, says one of the therapists: "These people are not only physically injured, but also mentally. They are often scared and ask themselves: 'Will I ever be able to go home again? We don't just look after the physical strength of these people, but also their mental strength."

The ultimate goal is for patients to be able to return home after a stay in hospital.

WIGEV-Generaldirektorin Evelyn Kölldorfer-Leitgeb

Bild: Reinhard Holl

250 more beds promised by 2030
For more difficult cases, there are 96 places for "transitional care", giving patients three months to get back on their feet. So far, the success rate here has been around a third of all patients who have been able to return home afterwards.

WIGEV General Director Evelyn Kölldorfer-Leitgeb believes that the current demand in Vienna is covered by the 144 places. However, the aim is to provide 250 additional care places by 2030. Although the measures would cost a lot, she admitted, they would help the healthcare system save even more in the long term.