The costs for nursing home places and for those in need of care in Bremen and Bremerhaven continue to rise. In order to change that, Bremen should work at the federal level to cap care costs according to the will of the citizens. The corresponding proposal from the red-green-red coalition „Sustainably relieve residents of care facilities of their growing personal contributions”initiated by the left-wing faction, was decided by the Bremen state parliament today.
Nursing home residents in the state of Bremen pay an average of 3,070 euros per month in the first year of accommodation (as of July 2024, data from vdek). The average gross pension in 2022 was 1,542 euros. As a result, every third person in need of care is already dependent on social benefits – and the trend is rising.
Sofia Leonidakischairwoman and social policy spokeswoman for the Left Party, is pleased with the decision: “It is an incredible injustice how many people have toiled all their lives only to have to go to the social welfare office when they are old because their pension is not enough for a place in a nursing home . At the moment, every increase in costs in geriatric care falls on the necks of those in need of care. A place in a home in Bremen now costs over 3,000 euros a month. That is twice as much as the average gross pension in Bremen. You don’t have to be a math genius to realize that it doesn’t work either way. The need for care must no longer be a highway to poverty in old age.
It is therefore necessary for Bremen to make a start here and work at the federal level to ensure that there is real relief for nursing home residents. The personal contributions of nursing home residents must be capped!
There needs to be full citizen insurance for care that everyone pays into – including the almost 10 million people with private care insurance! We want to use the funds released as a result of this to provide nursing housing benefit. In addition, we want to make it easier for nursing home residents to access housing benefit in Bremen. This can also prevent people from falling into poverty in old age.”
