In need of care in Berlin: months of waiting for social assistance!

In need of care in Berlin: months of waiting for social assistance!

In Germany, people in need of care with low income are increasingly affected by long waiting times for state aid. A survey by the German Press Agency among eight district offices in Berlin shows that this is particularly serious in Berlin-Pankow, where some applications have been unprocessed for over two years. The number of open applications in Pankow amounts to around 850, while in Steglitz-Zehlendorf the processing time is between five and ten months. There are currently 360 unprocessed applications, such as Borkener Zeitung reports.

Especially in urgent cases, for example if the residential loss is threatened, the applicants advance. Nevertheless, the majority of the applications remain unprocessed, which is attributed to an increase in applications and lack of personnel in the district offices. Hannes Rehfeldt, district councilor in Neukölln, describes that some clerks are responsible for up to 500 case files, which slowly slowed down processing.

Problems with the application processing

Another obstacle are often incomplete or non -usable documents from applicants. In Steglitz-Zehlendorf, only about 12 of 16 full-time positions for care are occupied. In particular, the processing of applications with paper files affects efficiency, explains group leader Heinz Sonnenschein. RBB24 has also reported on these challenges. More and more people are dependent on this help, because long -term care insurance often covers only part of the actually incurred costs. The rest must be worn by those affected or their relatives.

The Senate Department for Nursing is aware of the problems in the districts and plans to improve the personnel situation. Pankow has already launched a project to reduce residues and win new staff.

demographic development

This sales situation should be considered against the background of a significant increase in the number of people in need of care in Germany. In 2021, almost 5 million people were in need of care, with four out of five of these people being 65 or older. Over a third of those in need of care was even older than 85 years. This aging of the society leads to a constant increase in nursing quota, which is about 82 %, as the [Federal Center for Political Education] (https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/achen-und-fakten/szialbericht-2024/553321/ Consideration/).

Another aspect is the changing application behavior of those in need of care. Older women in particular rather make applications for care services because they often live alone. The majority of those in need of care are cared for at home, whereby many exclusively care allowance related to relatives.

Overall, the problem of long waiting times for social assistance for those in need of care and their relatives is alarming, and urgent measures are required to deal with these challenges.