The Local Germany

Some Swedish care homes have had no cases of Covid-19 – what did they do right?

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 16:49:53 +0200

At least 234 of Sweden's 290 municipalities have elderly care homes with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases. But a handful seem to have been able to protect residents from Covid-19, in some cases despite staff being infected. So what did they do differently, and could their strategies be applies elsewhere?

As Germany ages, 'grey vote' has younger generations worried

Sat, 16 Sep 2017 18:03:33 +0200

Save for pensioners or invest in young people? It's one of the most prickly debates across Germany ahead of next week's election, and with voters over 60 making up the biggest share of the electorate, politicians are pulling out all the stops to charm retirees.

Phone scammers callously exploiting vulnerable elderly

Thu, 23 Jun 2016 16:59:24 +0200

Criminals are becoming ever more creative when preying on old people through fraudulent telephone scams.

Germany is second-oldest country worldwide

Wed, 09 Dec 2015 13:37:03 +0100

The average age in Germany reached a new high of 44.1 years in 2013, a study showed on Tuesday – an increase of more than four years since 1995.

Germany has just two workers per pensioner

Thu, 19 Jun 2014 10:05:00 +0200

There are just two workers left for every pensioner in rapidly-ageing Germany, according to government figures published on Wednesday.

Germany's oldest woman dies aged 112

Wed, 23 Apr 2014 10:41:00 +0200

Germany’s oldest woman died at the age of 112 on Tuesday. Gertrud Henze was born on December 8th 1901 and joked her long life was down to never getting married.

Carer took photos of the dead for WhatsApp chat

Thu, 10 Apr 2014 13:44:00 +0200

A Bavarian care home worker allegedly took photos of her dead patients and shared them with her colleagues on messaging service WhatsApp, along with sarcastic comments.

Carer 'poisoned woman to steal jewellery'

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 12:31:00 +0100

A care assistant will go on trial on Thursday, charged with fatally poisoning a patient in Bavaria order to steal her jewellery.

Students shelter in old folks' homes

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 12:25:00 +0200

Finding student accommodation can be hard in Germany, but in one northern city an unusual alternative is becoming popular – renting out a room in an old people's home.

More Germans than ever take early retirement

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:10:00 +0100

More Germans than ever before are taking early retirement, according to new figures released on Thursday. A record number put their feet up early in 2011, opting to take a reduced pension in order to enjoy more free-time.

Old lady stuck on eighth floor for three months

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:12:00 +0100

An elderly woman has been trapped on the eighth floor of a housing block in the eastern German city of Jena for three months due to the long-delayed repair of the building's broken lift.

Freed from work stress, pensioners sleep soundly

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:00:00 +0100

Freshly retired Germans tend to sleep better than their working counterparts, a study released on Wednesday suggested. But as old age sets in, getting good-quality shut-eye becomes increasingly difficult.

Half of Germans prefer suicide to nursing care

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:06:00 +0100

Around half of Germans would chose assisted suicide over becoming dependent on nursing care in their old age, a survey released on Tuesday revealed.

I've been to the future and it really aches

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:10:00 +0200

A Berlin hospital has found a novel way to give medical students a taste of life at 75. A suit which stiffens the joints, distorts the vision and makes everything difficult to do. James Gheerbrant climbed inside it to seek the wisdom of ages.

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.

Sex helps 'keep you young' in old age

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:14:00 +0100

Staying sexually active in old age keeps your brain ticking, according to a recent study in which 70 percent of those Germans over 75 said they were happy with their antics between the sheets.

More seniors addicted to drugs and alcohol

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:51:00 +0100

Hundreds of thousands of German senior citizens are dependent on drugs or alcohol and authorities worry the number is only increasing.

Struggling pensioners forced back to work

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0100

Germany, as Europe's top economy, may be currently seen as the land of plenty but its senior citizens are increasingly being forced to take a part-time job in their twilight years just to make ends meet.

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.

German population to shrink by a fifth by 2060

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:05:00 +0200

Germany's population will plunge by 17 million inhabitants – a fifth of its current size – by 2060, according to a demography study presented by Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich this week.