Warning to politicians

Home care on the sidelines: “Imbalance is growing”

Everyone wants to grow old at home - and be cared for there. However, the conditions for this are becoming increasingly difficult, warns the head of the Caritas department responsible for Vienna. Especially since politicians have finally taken the shortage of nursing staff in hospitals seriously, the situation in home care has worsened.

Ilse Simma-Boyd now finds it "very difficult to find skilled staff". This makes it increasingly difficult for her to fulfill people's wish to be cared for at home. Simma-Boyd is responsible for care and nursing at home at Caritas Vienna and knows first-hand how this area is becoming increasingly marginalized.

"Care at home is also smarter for the economy"
"It is the wish of those affected to be cared for at home, and in most cases it is also economically smarter to offer care at home," Simma-Boyd emphasizes to the "Krone", yet politicians are not creating the conditions for this. The problem also lies in the fact that care at home - unlike nursing homes, for example - is a legal matter between the federal and state governments. The result is the confusion of administrative responsibilities and care providers that those affected know only too well.

Demand in the mobile sector is increasing.

Ilse Simma-Boyd, Bereichsleiterin Betreuen und Pflegen, Caritas Wien

Bild: Caritas Wien / Stefanie J. Steindl

But precisely because Vienna has recently made improvements to hospital salaries, the situation in home care has worsened: "Politicians always emphasize: mobile before inpatient. If this is taken seriously, attractive conditions must be created in both areas. But there is a growing imbalance. Only when salaries are fair can I really decide which area I want to work in as a care worker."

"Everyone is looking for the same people"
Simma-Boyd emphasizes that it's not just about "more money", but about salary structures that reflect the actual workload of home care workers: sole responsibility, lots of travel, constantly confronted with new problems. In hospital services, there are also bonuses for night shifts and other things, she points out. Until there is a balance here, nursing staff will continue to avoid home care, as "everyone is looking for the same people".

Simma-Boyd warns that the staffing shortage will not disappear as long as society continues to age: "There have never been as many people working in care as there are today - but there are still too few." Politicians need to regulate the issue because "caring for older people is the biggest social challenge we face."