Monday 31 December 2012

Britain is no country for old men within its borders and Germany is no country for old men within and inceasingly, without its borders

According to Germany’s 'Federal Bureau of Statistics', more than 400,000 old men and women cannot afford a German retirement home, a figure growing by around 5% per year because many are living for longer while their pensions are stagnating.

At the moment :

* EU law prevents state insurers from signing contracts with overseas homes but this is likely to change as legislators are forced to respond to Europe’s ageing population.

* the 'Krankenkassen', statutory insurers which make up Germany’s state insurance system, are discussing cheaper care in foreign retirement homes.

When it comes to private care homes :

* rising numbers are moved overseas for long-term care because of sky-high costs at home with some private healthcare providers are even building homes overseas.

* the 'Sozialverband Deutschland' (VdK), a socio-political advisory group, said the fact that many Germans were unable to afford the costs of a retirement home in their own country was a huge ‘alarm signal’ and its President, Ulrike Mascher, told The Guardian : " We simply cannot let those people, who built Germany up to be what it is, be deported. It is inhumane."

* Artur Frank, the owner of 'Senior Palace', which finds care homes for old men and women  in Slovakia said it was wrong to suggest senior citizens were being ‘deported’ and "many are here of their own free will, the results of sensible decisions by their families who know they will be better off."

* researchers found over 7,000  pensioners living in retirement homes in Hungary in 2011,more than 3,000 in the Czech Republic, more than 600 in Slovakia and unknown numbers in Spain, Greece and the Ukraine, as well as Thailand and the Philippines with some saying they were there 'out of choice' as costs were lower, while standards of care were often higher while many others admitted they' moved reluctantly'.

The reality :

* Germany has one of the fastest growing populations of elderly and with the long-term health care cost rising and actual care standards falling, one of the best solutions is to send the elderly and the sick overseas for treatment, rehabilitation and retirement, where cost is much cheaper and quality of care and attention given to patients are far better.

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