Supporting the Autonomous Elderly Who Opt Out of Assisted Living
In Rhineland-Palatinate, a preventive service called "Community Sister Plus" has been helping individuals aged 80 and over since its launch in 2015. One in five individuals contacted the service due to feelings of loneliness. However, when it comes to similar initiatives in Baden-Württemberg, the available information is less explicit.
The state parliamentary inquiry commission "Shaping future-oriented and intergenerational care in Baden-Württemberg" issued 189 recommendations nine years ago, but specifics about mobile community nursing are not mentioned. The SPD faction in Baden-Württemberg has proposed a bill to introduce mobile community nurses, aiming to provide care and social support directly in community and home settings, particularly for vulnerable elderly individuals prone to social isolation.
While there are ongoing efforts to integrate nursing staff in Baden-Württemberg clinics, detailed information about mobile community nursing initiatives, their current status, participating cities, and measured impacts on reducing loneliness among the elderly population is scarce.
The proposed mobile community nurses in Baden-Württemberg would work within a comprehensive network, with cities like Stuttgart and Karlsruhe already demonstrating the feasibility of such services. A budget framework of 20 million euros per year is planned, depending on the number of municipalities participating and utilizing funding.
Meanwhile, the "Community Sister Plus" project in Rhineland-Palatinate has been evaluated, with more than half of the individuals connected with like-minded individuals through the community nurses. The SPD in the Baden-Württemberg state parliament argues for the importance of visits and consultations in preventing care dependency.
To gain a more comprehensive understanding of mobile community nursing in Baden-Württemberg, it is recommended to consult Baden-Württemberg’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration publications, regional healthcare providers’ community nursing program reports, and academic or policy research focused on community health and aging in that state.
