Elderly care: nursing service makes mistakes: what relatives can do

Berlin.
Experts warn of serious deficiencies in outpatient care services. Where the biggest risks lie and how to address conflicts.

It’s a gradual process. But for most people there comes a time when you have to admit: I can no longer manage my everyday life without outside help. It is often the adult children who notice difficulties in their father or mother in old age and then either take care of the parents themselves or have someone else take care of them outpatient care service give an order.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, there are around five million people in Germany in need of care. And that’s just the official number of those who have a nursing degree. Around 4.1 million of these people are cared for at home, around 2.5 million of them alone or partly by relatives.

Local outpatient care services are often contracted to help with care. Depending on the level of care and benefits, the care insurance fund will cover the costs. The problem: According to surveys, the growing number of people in need of care can be cared for more and more poorly. The quality of outpatient care falls by the wayside, sometimes seriously care mistakes increase.

Nursing services suffer from staff shortages and overwork

According to experts, there are a number of reasons for the misery. Probably the most pressing problem at the moment is the lack of skilled workers, says Daniela Sulmann in an interview with our editors. Sulmann is a nursing expert and manager at the Center for Quality in Nursing (ZQP). The non-profit operational foundation aims to improve the quality of care, especially for older people people in need of care to improve.

There is a shortage of skilled workers in many areas. “But in nursing it is sometimes dramatic,” says Sulmann. “Care runs on an emergency generator – and the people in need of care and their relatives clearly feel that.” Many care services could no longer meet requests. It happens that contracts are terminated and no new ones are closed. Agreed services cannot always be provided in full. “Because they simply lack the staff,” says Sulmann. As a result, unskilled assistants would sometimes be used for tasks that should actually only be carried out by specialist staff.

Risk of error in care: Expert sees toxic mix as the cause

In addition to the shortage of skilled workers, there is often a problem with the implementation of modern supply concepts and the qualification of the staff. “The supply structures and processes have hardly changed in the last 25 years, but the requirements are much higher. And some of the employees and managers are not suitably qualified for the increasingly demanding tasks,” says Sulmann. In addition, many nursing service lines care duties take over and are therefore unable to do justice to their managerial duties.

The tight financing system also contributes to the time pressure. “Tasks are often processed in a hurry. A toxic mix of time pressure, lack of qualifications and communication constantly works against safe care,” says Sulmann. At the same time, the results of the scientific work of the ZQP indicate that the risk of error in outpatient care is generally high. Among other things, the ZQP had interviewed quality officers and nursing service managers.

According to this, four areas in particular have a high value in outpatient care risk of error. On the one hand there is a lack of documentation – this means that written information is incorrect or not recorded at all if, for example, a wound has changed in the “client”, as it is called in nursing jargon, or he had a fever. Other areas include errors in the administration of medication, hygiene and wound care.

“According to our findings, a very important cause of care errors is poor communication – both within the professional group, but especially between those involved in care,” says Sulmann. This includes, for example, relatives and professional caregivers, but also doctors and physiotherapists.

What relatives can do about mistakes in care

What to do? “Relatives play an important role in avoiding mistakes,” says Sulmann. The expert advises you to always ask questions and possible To ponder to express, “respectfully and not exactly in a hectic moment”. Alternatively, you should call to ask for an appointment. It is important not to ask questions in a reproachful way, but with interest. And to convey that one would like to understand certain measures or decisions better.

But it is also important that caring relatives themselves have a certain level of competence in matters care security appropriated. One option is to take nursing courses. These are free of charge and are covered by the health or long-term care insurance. There are offers on site as well as courses at home or as online training. The ZQP offers one online free database on advisory services in care, which also includes complaints offices.

Properly resolve conflicts with nursing staff

If there are long-term conflicts or a breach of trust with a certain nursing staff, relatives can try to agree on a change of staff. If that does not help, relatives can always get help from the care fund receive. After all, this pays part of the services.

In the case of privately insured persons, the private long-term care insurance company is the point of contact. Other contact points for complaints are the Medical Service (MD), which also level of care determines, and as a private counterpart, the private health insurance testing service. In addition, many municipalities also have municipal complaints offices for the area of geriatric care.