The Department of Nursing Science, headed by Prof. Dr. Manfred Hülsken-Giesler at the Institute of Health Research and Education (IGB), is supporting six pilot projects over a three-year period that are developing and testing new approaches to nursing care and support for older adults in their neighborhoods.
The model projects focus on so-called neighborhood care services, which serve as central contact points offering advice, support, and referral services all under one roof. They serve a coordinating role, ensure nursing care both day and night, link existing services, and actively involve neighborhood structures and volunteer efforts. They are complemented by neighborhood meeting places, which, as local venues for social interaction, counseling, and support, promote social cohesion and facilitate low-threshold access to assistance and support services.
“The pilot projects under Section 123 of SGB XI allow us to test how municipalities, cities, and neighborhoods can continue to develop in order to enable participation and quality of life for the growing number of people in Germany who require care,” says Prof. Dr. Manfred Hülsken-Giesler of Osnabrück University. “I am very pleased that our evaluations in the city of Hamburg give us the opportunity to scientifically monitor these developments and thereby support a solid and sustainable course of action.”
The pilot projects are part of the nationwide implementation of Section 123 of Book XI of the Social Code (SGB XI), which was revised in 2023. The Care Support and Relief Act (PUEG) established, for the first time, a funding instrument that enables states and municipalities, in collaboration with long-term care insurance providers, to develop and test innovative approaches for providing community-based support to people in need of care. The goal is to improve care services, social participation, and access to support services, and to enable people to live in their familiar home environment for as long as possible despite their need for care.
Through its scientific support, Osnabrück University is contributing to the further development of municipal care and support structures. The results of the evaluation are intended to help identify successful approaches and provide insights for the implementation of comparable model projects in other regions of Germany.
Further information for the media:
Prof. Dr. Manfred Hülsken-Giesler, Osnabrück
University, Institute of Health Research and Education
