The Local Germany

Duisburg pensioner lies dead in flat for three years before being found

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 15:20:26 +0100

A pensioner lay dead in his apartment in western Germany for almost three years before workmen found his body, police reported on Wednesday.

Older volunteers fill community service gaps

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:31:00 +0200

When Germany scrapped compulsory military service, along with the alternative civilian service in 2011, many feared shortages in the social care sector. But the opposite has been the case, it emerged on Wednesday.

Immigration boosts population in 2012

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:25:00 +0100

Immigration pushed Germany's population higher in 2012, official statistics showed on Monday, the second gain in two years despite the country's rapidly ageing society.

Having older employees 'better for business'

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:02:00 +0100

Having employees between the ages of 45 and 67 increases a business' productivity, the German government announced on Tuesday in a report examining age-equality in the workplace.

Young feel brunt of age discrimination

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:49:00 +0100

Roughly one in five Germans believes they’ve been discriminated against because of their age – with the nation's youths feeling harder done by than its pensioners.

Scientists develop nose exam to detect Alzheimer's disease early

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:19:00 +0100

Scientists in central Germany are working on a method with which they reckon they could diagnose Alzheimer’s disease years before any symptoms are noticed – by looking up patients’ noses.

Living in a dying city

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:05:00 +0200

Hoyerswerda is Germany's fastest shrinking city – and a potential trailblazer for other communities facing demographic collapse. Caitlan Carroll reports on how its residents are trying to cope.

The unhealthy cult of ageing

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:59:00 +0200

Are there limits to age and experience? When is it time to call it quits? Roger Boyes, Berlin correspondent for British daily The Times, explores Germany’s unhealthy age fetish.

Study ties birth month to longevity

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:47:00 +0100

A person’s lifespan depends on the month they were born, according to a new study by the University of Greifswald. November babies live on average nine months longer than those born in May, it found.

Ageing immigrants spark new nursing care niche

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:04:00 +0100

Many foreigners who came to Germany in the 1950s as “guest workers” have retired and now require special care. The situation has sparked a new niche market for retirement homes programmes that cater to the particular needs of ageing immigrants.

Pensioners' choir on a highway to hell-raising

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:45:00 +0200

To a rock ‘n’ roll choir made up of singers in the autumn of their lives, Stairway to Heaven might seem an enticing choice of signature tune. But the bad boys and girls of the “Rock Not Retirement” group have opted instead for “Highway to Hell.”

Facing a century: 100 German portraits

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:26:00 +0200

A new book of portraits features the storied faces and fascinating tales of 100 German centenarians who participated in a genetics study. Kristen Allen spoke with photographer Andreas Labes about putting a human face on science.

Hipp baby food turns to hip-replacement generation

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:29:00 +0100

The German baby food firm Hipp has found a recipe for growth even as the nation’s birth rate stays low and its population ages – feeding its products to elderly adults.

Germany's ageing population heading for massive decline

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:24:00 +0100

The Federal Statistic's Office on Wednesday forecast Germany's rapidly ageing population was likely to decline by 20 percent to around 65 million by 2060.

Germany’s Rent-a-Granny future

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:09:00 +0200

With Germany’s society ageing rapidly, Roger Boyes, the Berlin correspondent of British daily The Times, explains why you soon might have to pay your grandmother for her valuable time.

Thousands of jobless to care for German dementia patients

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:01:00 +0200

Up to 10,000 long-term unemployed Germans will be trained to care for people suffering from dementia, after a change in the law gave care homes budgets to employ more care workers.