Whether for corona vaccinations, for social services such as meals on wheels, in rescue operations or to support war refugees from Ukraine – the Red Cross of Upper Austria is on duty around 6000 times a day.
Walter Aichinger, President of the Upper Austrian Red Cross, points out that this commitment is by no means a matter of course. “Volunteers are the heart of our humanitarian aid organization and key performers in our society. Our employees are a reliable and indispensable support, especially in crisis and exceptional situations,” says Aichinger.
New challenges for Red Cross
The social change also challenges the aid organizations, because more and more people are dependent on help in coping with their everyday lives. The Red Cross assumes that the number of people in need of care in Upper Austria will increase from around 80,000 at present to around 126,000 by 2040. Around 14,000 Upper Austrians are currently being cared for by the Red Cross in mobile care, and by 2050 around 79,000 more nursing staff would be needed in Austria in the field of mobile and inpatient care.
After a break due to corona, supervised travel was resumed in autumn 2021. “We have developed a safety concept for carefree travel to enable those people who can no longer travel alone to enjoy their holidays,” says Red Cross President Aichinger. The first-aid courses were also well attended in the first year after the start of the corona pandemic: the number of participants rose to 32,100.
Source: Nachrichten
