Germany currently counts over six million people who require care, with that number on a steady upward trajectory. The vast majority of these individuals receive care at home from approximately ten million family members, who frequently find themselves overwhelmed and frustrated by the physical and emotional demands placed upon them.
As part of a focused ARD thematic evening, the public broadcasting network is turning its attention to home care and the mounting strain placed on relatives. This broadcast lineup immediately follows a dedicated documentation piece examining the pressures faced by informal caregivers across the country.
Who is facing the strain of home care?
The core of the discussion centers on the daily realities of the roughly ten million relatives who manage caregiving responsibilities at home alongside their personal and professional lives.
Dilek Erusta, a community nurse working in Berlin-Neukölln, brings front-line perspective from daily home care visits.
What do journalists and politicians say about policy failures?
The debate brings together political decision-makers and journalists to question whether current government strategies do enough to support families. Caren Miosga, an ARD journalist and moderator, presents the accompanying documentary titled „Und wer fragt nach mir? – Pflegende Angehörige am Rande der Erschöpfung“ (And who asks about me? — Family caregivers on the verge of exhaustion).”
Political responses to the crisis are addressed by Petra Köpping (SPD), the State Minister for Social Affairs, Health, and Social Cohesion in Saxony, alongside Hendrik Streeck (CDU), a health politician and drug commissioner of the federal government. The panel examines what concrete legislative steps the federal government intends to take to improve the situation for both care recipients and their exhausted relatives.
How can viewers access the broadcast?
The discussion program „Hart aber fair,“ moderated by Louis Klamroth, air directly following the documentary block. For accessibility, the program has been accompanied by sign language translation within the HbbTV service of Das Erste since January 2018.”
Viewers can access the sign language interpretation using their remote control via the start bar of Das Erste, provided they use an internet-connected, HbbTV-compatible smart TV or set-top box.
