Living situations of older people in Hagen's Helfe and Dahl districts

In Hagen-Helfe, 15 percent of people are 75 years or older. There is no district in Hagen with a higher proportion of this age group in the total population. 73.5 percent of these people state that they cannot get around on their own. 20 percent use a walking aid, such as a rollator.

These are their most pressing problems:

• no general practitioner in the neighborhood, but many do not feel fit enough to travel to the nearest practice by public transport
• no intercultural services - all non-Christians are excluded
• Many people feel lonely due to a lack of family structures

Positive aspects are mentioned:

• Events in the ecumenical center
• shopping facilities
• range of services

Students' recommendations for Hagen-Helfe:

• Repairing the sidewalks so that senior citizens can go to events more easily
• A public transport service that is better tailored to senior citizens

In Hagen-Dahl, the proportion of over-74-year-olds in the total population is half that of Helfe at 7.5 percent. 91.5 percent of senior citizens are Christians. 79.4 percent describe themselves as wealthy.

Their points of criticism:

• lack of accessibility, for example steps in front of pharmacies and doctors' surgeries, narrow or missing sidewalks, steep streets
• too few offers for outsiders in the retirement home

Positive:

• Functioning family network and neighborhood
• Medical care

Student recommendations for Hagen-Dahl:

• Removal of tripping hazards
• Disability-friendly expansion of the train station
• Delivery service and home visits from service providers
• And here too: Better public transport services

How many questionnaires did you and the students evaluate in total?
A total of 5,321 questionnaires were sent out. We evaluated a total of 1,578 for two districts.

What is the usual response rate for such studies?
Normally the response rate is 10-20 percent. 30 percent is excellent. We didn't expect almost 40 percent in both districts. This shows how important the concerns of older people in the neighborhood are.

Can the problems for senior citizens in Hagen be transferred to other cities?
The structural framework conditions are very similar, at least in the Ruhr region, also in terms of the financial requirements of the municipalities and what severely limits their scope for action.

Is Fachhochschule Dortmund's work on this study complete with the evaluation of the two districts?
Yes, the main task for us as a university of applied sciences was to carry out the methodological groundwork and develop the instrument. Now it's up to the employees of the city of Hagen.

How do you look back on your involvement in the study?
Basically, all those involved benefit from projects with a practical focus. The theory-practice transfer is written into our DNA as a university of applied sciences, so to speak.
One conclusion in terms of content is that, not least due to demographic change, more and more older people are living in the neighborhood and in their familiar living environment. If we want to reach these people, we need outreach social work.
However, this study has not yet addressed the biggest challenge, as the first generations of migrant workers will only join the target group in the coming years. Reaching them will be a much greater challenge.