24-hour care: the path to more quality
In addition to care provided by family members, outpatient care and nursing homes, 24-hour care is an important pillar of care in old age. Demand is growing steadily and there are many placement agencies on the market. At the same time, supply has hardly been regulated to date. As a result, 24-hour care does not have a good reputation, despite the high demand and intensive use.
Comprehensive catalog with quality criteria
The DIN standard DIN SPEC 33454 entitled "Care of people in need of support by caregivers from abroad living in the household - requirements for intermediaries, service providers and caregivers" is intended to provide a remedy. It sets out quality criteria, such as the requirements for the caregivers, their place of work and accommodation, the placement agencies and the mostly foreign companies that employ the caregivers. Things that seem obvious are also included: For example, that a contract is concluded and expectations are clarified and recorded by mutual agreement. This specification should lead to greater transparency and thus offer better protection for caregivers and people in need of care.
Voluntary commitment
DIN SPEC 33454 was developed by a consortium whose members include the Federal Representation of Interests for the Elderly and People in Need of Care, the DIN Consumer Council, Stiftung Warentest, Kuratorium Deutsche Altershilfe and three care agencies. It is important to note that the DIN standard is a voluntary commitment. However, the authors assume that this will make the market more transparent and increase the pressure on agencies to sign up to the standard.
High standards for recruitment agencies
Placement agencies that work according to the new specification must meet a number of requirements. Among other things, they must advise people in need of care and their relatives and employ trained care staff to do so. The agency must also be available on site at all times via a 24-hour hotline. Their obligations also include regular audits to check whether social security obligations are being met and the minimum wage is being paid, and whether the care workers are being trained and educated as required.
"The pme Familienservice welcomes the standards for 24-hour nursing staff. They will definitely contribute to greater transparency and better implementation in Germany. However, the fact that these standards are necessary is due to a legislative omission: here in Germany - unlike in countries such as Austria, Switzerland or Italy - there is hardly any regulation on how 24-hour staff can be financed and deployed. Even the quality standards presented will not be able to resolve this omission, because the demand is so great that 24-hour staff who do not meet these quality standards will continue to arrive. For us at pme Familienservice , there is no way around a statutory regulation. It is to be hoped that the current DIN standard will raise awareness of this issue."
Jürgen Griesbeck, Product Manager Homecare-Eldercare at pme Familienservice
The text of DIN SPEC 33454 can be downloaded here free of charge
pme Familienservice Group - Your EAP provider since 1991
On behalf of more than 900 employers, the pme Familienservice Group supports employees in achieving a successful work-life balance and being able to work with a clear head.
The pme Familienservice Group supports working people in crises, e.g. conflicts at work, addiction or partnership problems. With a homecare eldercare service, it helps working people to organize and finance care services and offers psychosocial support. The pme Academy offers seminars, workshops and coaching on the topics of personnel management and development.
You can find out more about the pme Familienservice Group here: www.familienservice.de/wer-wir-sind
This YouTube content can only be loaded if you accept the privacy policy of Google LLC.
To the data protection settings "
