According to relatives, medication errors or failures in administering drugs occurred in nearly one in every two care recipients over the past six months. This alarming finding comes from a study conducted by the Center for Quality in Care (ZQP), which the Funke media group cited. Specifically, 19 percent of cases experienced repeated medication problems. Furthermore, 26 percent of respondents reported encountering multiple issues related to expired or missing medicines and absent prescriptions. Notably, 59 percent of the care recipients require permanent administration of five or more medications, according to their relatives.
The study suggests that insufficient medication can also endanger the safety of the care recipient. Adding to the risks, 36 percent of respondents reported that the care recipient suffered one or more falls resulting in injuries within the last twelve months. Similarly, 36 percent stated that the person required emergency hospitalization at least once during that period. Overall, 51 percent of individuals reported at least one hospital stay.
Ralf Suhr, Chairman of the ZQP, stated that the results demonstrate a necessity for stronger focus on prevention in elderly care. He argued that the study underlines the need for patient and care safety of older adults to move further into the center of political discussions regarding the future of the German healthcare system. However, Suhr also emphasized the crucial role of family caregivers, affirming that their dedication is indispensable in the German care and health system and cannot be replaced by professional services. Consequently, he stressed that relatives must be systematically involved in the care and medical processes as partners at an equal level.
In parallel, last week the Federal Cabinet passed the Nursing Care Reform Act (PNOG). The social security for caregivers was also a point of discussion in the reform process. The original draft had planned to limit the pension contributions from long-term care insurance for caregivers beginning in 2027, basing them only on 70 percent of previous contributory income. This planned reduction was subsequently removed from the Cabinet resolution. Under the current plan, long-term care insurance continues to cover the pension contributions for both caregivers and their families in full.
For the caregivers themselves, the caregiving duties are frequently stressful, according to the ZQP survey. Fifty-three percent report experiencing mental strain and 38 percent report physical strain. Sixty-one percent of caregivers have had to postpone important personal plans because of their caregiving role, and 42 percent admit to neglecting their social relationships. These values for relatives of people with dementia are even higher, standing at 71 percent for mental strain and 47 percent for physical strain.
The study also highlighted the extensive daily support required: 85 percent of respondents stated that the care recipient almost always needs assistance with more complex daily activities, such as household management, administrative tasks, or doctor visits. The survey gathered data from 1,012 caregivers nationwide, aged 40 to 85, who have been providing care for a person over 60 with a care degree at home at least once a week for a minimum of six months.
