Chinanews.com, Berlin, December 22 (Reporter Ma Xiuxiu) According to data released by the German Federal Statistical Office on the 21st, the number of people in need of nursing care in Germany continues to rise.
As of December 2021, there were 4.96 million people in Germany with care needs; as of December 2019, this number was still 4.13 million.
The Federal Statistical Office notes that the significant increase (over 20%) in the number of people with care needs is on the one hand linked to the change in regulations: In 2017, the term "care needs" was defined more broadly and since then more people have been classified as " in need of care”; on the other hand, there were some 160,000 previously unrecorded people entitled to level 1 care benefits, which also contributed to the increase.
According to German media reports, overall, the number of people with nursing needs in Germany has been on the rise in recent decades: According to the regulations at the time, only 2.04 million people were identified as having nursing needs 20 years ago; reached 2.5 million; exceeded 3 million in 2017; exceeded 4 million in 2019.
Figures show that by the end of 2021, about five out of six people with care needs will be cared for at home.
Of these, 2.55 million receive only care allowances and are mainly cared for by relatives; 1.05 million live in private households and are cared for together or entirely by outpatient care services.
Only about one in six people with care needs live in a nursing home, the data showed.
Compared to December 2019, this figure is down 3%.
On the other hand, the number of people being cared for at home has increased by a quarter.
Figures show that every third of people with care needs are aged 85 and over.
Overall, 79% of people with care needs are over the age of 65.
Due to the longer life expectancy, most people with care needs are women.
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