The strain on European care systems will continue to increase in the coming years. This is evident from a study published by the German Economic Institute (IW) on long-term care in Germany.

The massive increase in care needs due to the aging of the so-called baby boomer generation is yet to come, experts say. The current strain on care systems is due to other factors, such as a longer duration of care needs. Long-term care will come under increasing pressure from two sides until the 2030s: Baby boomer generations are retiring from the workforce, which also reduces the number of caregivers. At the same time, the number of people in need of long-term-care continues to rise.

According to Averardo Orta, President of the European Confederation of Care Homes Organizations, these findings can also be applied to many other EU member states. “The big stress test is yet to come. And long-term care is already under massive pressure in many European countries. Those in need of care and their families can no longer find the care they need. This will only increase in the coming years.”

The crisis in the care of older people is now also having an impact on the overall economy in many member states. “If caregivers and thus also nursing care services are lacking, relatives have to step in and are then unavailable at their own workplace,” says Orta, whose association represents around 8,500 nursing facilities across Europe. “That’s why labor market and economic policymakers must also address this.”

Orta calls for a European Union strategy to be able to care for the growing number of people in need of care.

Background information: The IW study “Requirements for a Sustainable Care System” can be downloaded here: https://www.iwkoeln.de/en/studies/jochen-pimpertz-ruth-maria-schueler-the-german-care-industry-caught-between-rising-care-requirements-and-increasing-labour-shortages.html