The Lustenau Nursing Association looks back on a financially difficult year.
Lustenau At this year’s annual general meeting of the Lustenau Nursing Association (KPV) in the Reichshofsaal, chairman Dietmar Martin and treasurer Klaus Bösch informed the members present about the past year. From a financial point of view, this was not a good thing, as Bösch announced on Wednesday evening. “We have to look at how outpatient care will continue to be financed. We urgently need additional funding. Otherwise it will be tight,” emphasized Bösch.
Chairman Dietmar Martin presented impressive numbers from the care. The demand in the population for the care offers is high. “Last year we had 20,835 patient contacts. That’s about 47 a day. We were allowed to look after a total of 461 people,” he said. This increase in nursing services can be explained by the shortage of nursing staff in hospitals and nursing homes. “Patients are discharged from hospitals earlier and a lack of capacity in retirement homes means that outpatient care is increasingly being used,” says Martin. The nursing association reacted to this situation and hired additional specialist staff.
“We are an important cog in nursing that we must not forget. If the country wants to save larger costs, they have to support outpatient care,” Bösch continued. Because empty care beds do not only affect the elderly. This affects us all, as Bösch and Martin emphasized. The KPV had to cope with a loss of 118,114 euros this year, which is largely the result of increased personnel costs and unadjusted subsidies. “The relationship is wrong. You have to intervene quickly now,” says Bösch.
One third of the association is financed by membership fees and additional donations, the remaining two thirds come from public funds. In order to be able to continue to fulfill their tasks for the patients, the board of directors demands that the state adjust the subsidies to the new circumstances and significantly increase them. “This big hole can only be plugged by the state,” says Bösch. The chairman of the regional association, Wolfgang Rothmund, and the mayor, Kurt Fischer, who were present, fully agreed with this. They support the demands of the Lustenau local association.
Aging with dignity at home
“We are out and about in the community for our patients from Monday to Sunday and come to their homes,” said the chairman. Since this year, there has also been the option of having the bandage changed in the Rathausstraße. The club renovated the house last year to be able to meet the increasing demand. The new premises can be viewed at the open house on June 24th. bvs
