Homes for people with dementia: 5 new locations in Upper Austria

2023-10-16 13:44:00

The numbers are alarming: more than 22,000 people are suffering from dementia in Upper Austria alone. Due to increasing life expectancy, this number will skyrocket in the coming years. “We expect 45,000 cases in 2050,” said State Councilor for Social Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (VP) on Monday in the “House of Senior Citizens” in Linz. In the Diakoniewerk facility, 48 residents live in residential groups, around two thirds of whom have dementia.

Five new locations

The high proportion is no exception. More than half of all residents have been diagnosed with the disease, which is also associated with an increased need for care. “People with dementia need much more closeness and direct support,” said home manager Ulrike Oberndorfer.

In order to be able to meet future requirements, the state is now creating five additional houses that specialize in the needs of residents suffering from dementia. Specifically, in addition to two homes in Linz (Keferfeld-Oed senior center and Diakoniewerk’s house for seniors), these are the locations in Kallham (Grieskirchen district), Sierning (Steyr-Land district) and Ebensee (Gmunden district).

There are already two homes with a focus on dementia in Wels, and there are also homes with special care in Mauerkirchen (Braunau district), Ternberg (Steyr-Land district) and Peuerbach (Grieskirchen district).

Psychological tests

Now what does that mean? “In the homes there is additional help for people with dementia. This includes psychologists, doctors and trained nurses,” said LH deputy Christine Haberlander (VP). What is new, for example, is that the residents in the pilot homes are psychologically tested, on the one hand by outside experts and on the other hand by specially trained nursing staff. The head of the Diakoniewerk, Dorothea Dorfbauer, sees the fact that several areas work together as promising. “I am convinced that not only residents and relatives will benefit, but also our employees. We will learn with and from each other, across several professional groups and houses,” says Dorfbauer.

The offer will run as a pilot project until 2025. Given the high demand, there will be homes with a focus on dementia in all regions of Upper Austria in the future – in addition to the existing service centers.