Need of long-term care and demand for long-term care services by migrants in the light of demographic change , Date: 2012.03.01, Order number: FFFB12, format: Research report, area: Authority

Cover Research Report 12

Research Report 12 provides a detailed overview of the need of long-term care and demand for long-term care services by migrants in Germany.

Need of long-term care and migration

Currently, roughly 20 percent of the people living in Germany have either immigrated themselves or are descended from people who immigrated. Because of differing circumstances, one may presume that a migration background influences a person’s health status and, in the long term, their need of long-term care. Firstly, a migration background may influence the actual probability of illness or of being in need of long-term care. Secondly, the opportunities to receive adequate care or long-term care may be lessened.

Ideas regarding long-term care in old age

The ideas of older people with a migration background as to the provision of long-term care in old age differ only negligibly from those of people with no migration background. They primarily anticipate help from relatives and children. One can however increasingly observe that not all older migrants have relatives in Germany who are able and indeed willing to take on this task.

Persons with a migration background in need of long-term care

The available information permits one to estimate the number of persons with a migration background who are in need of long-term care. 8 percent of persons in need of long-term care in private households, 7 percent of those who are cared for by non-institutional services, and 9 percent of those who are fully institutionalised, have a migration background. If one uses the stock data of the statistics on long-term care provided by the Federal Statistical Office, this leads for 2009 to a total of roughly 192,000 persons with a migration background who are in need of long-term care. They account for 8.2 percent of all persons in need of long-term care, this share being roughly that of the corresponding overall elderly population.

Author of the research report: Martin Kohls

The report is only available in German.

This download is available in other languages, too.