The federal government’s recently approved relief package is a step in the right direction, but it won’t be enough if the inflation forecasts come true. Therefore, according to Pühringer, further relief measures are needed, such as an additional tax deduction for pensioners. He also repeated the senior citizens’ association’s call for the European Central Bank to raise the key interest rate. The low interest rates of the past few years have primarily been at the expense of small savers, many of whom are seniors.
Franz Ebner, State Manager of the Senior Citizens’ Association, also drew attention to the shortage of nursing staff during the press conference. By 2050, an additional 100,000 nursing staff would be needed in Austria, and demand would increase sharply in the next 20 years.
Ebner therefore called for an extension of nursing training in the form of nursing apprenticeships from the age of 14. In addition, caring relatives would have to be better supported and the framework conditions in the nursing profession would have to be improved in order to increase attractiveness.
Source: Nachrichten
