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Gerontology and prevention: “We are getting older, but not healthier older”

The students on the Innovative Healthcare (B.Sc.) course at Hof University of Applied Sciences on the Kronach campus had the opportunity to deal with a particularly relevant topic: Health promotion in and for old age. Hanna Wagner, Head of the Meeting and Counselling Centers and Volunteering at the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund-Regionalverband Dresden e.V. (ASB Dresden), spoke on the topic of “Gerontology and Prevention”.

Hanna Wagner, expert in gerontology and manager at the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund-Regionalverband Dresden e.V.; Image: Hof University of Applied Sciences;

Her expertise and experience provided the students with important insights into the challenges and opportunities of working with senior citizens in an ageing society.

Age structure using the example of Dresden: the challenges of demographic change

Dresden, the fourth largest city in Germany in terms of area, has around 570,000 inhabitants. The city faces particular demographic challenges: Around 28 percent of the population, some 160,000 people, are aged 60 or over. Hanna Wagner made it clear that demographic change, in particular the imminent retirement of the baby boomer generation, is having a major impact on the social fabric. At the same time, companies and care facilities are facing a shortage of skilled workers, which is being exacerbated by the increasing demand for care services.

A personal example from the speaker emphasized the urgency of the problem:

‘It took us weeks to find a wound nurse within our own family, even though I work in the social care sector myself.”

Hanna Wagner

This illustrated the bottlenecks in the healthcare system and the increasing challenges in caring for older people in need of care.

Lecture to students on the Innovative Healthcare (B.Sc.) course at Hof University of Applied Sciences on the Kronach campus; Image: Hof University of Applied Sciences;

ASB Dresden: Pioneer in prevention and outreach work

As a former graduate of Hof University of Applied Sciences and current manager at ASB Dresden, Wagner proudly reported on the diverse activities of her organization. ASB Dresden operates four facilities in the area of meeting and counseling work for senior citizens, including the “House of Generations” and the “Wiesenhäuser”. These facilities not only offer senior citizens a place of community, but also provide family caregivers with the opportunity to exchange ideas and receive support. “Many things would not be possible without our more than 100 volunteers,” emphasized Wagner, who also highlighted the importance of volunteering and the work associated with it.

Prevention, according to Wagner, plays a central role in this:

With targeted measures, the burden of disease on the population can be reduced.”

Hanna Wagner

ASB’s senior citizens’ advice service uses primary, secondary and tertiary prevention to support not only senior citizens, but also care facilities and relatives.

Health promotion in old age – prevention as the key

A central aspect of the workshop was the question of preventative measures to avoid or at least delay illness in old age. Hanna Wagner pointed out that the risk of illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases, depression and dementia increases with age. At the same time, she emphasized that health-promoting measures can be taken early on in life – a fact that is rarely talked about, especially in the case of diseases such as dementia. Students, e.g. with previous experience in care professions, got deeply involved in the discussion.

“We are getting older, but not healthier older,” Wagner emphasized, which brought the importance of prevention into focus. ASB Dresden’s meeting and advice centers offer a variety of programs to help both senior citizens and their relatives preventively. Whether gymnastics, handicrafts, yoga or dance events – the centers offer a wide range of activities that promote not only physical but also mental well-being. The individual, free advice provided by the specialists located in the centers also offers extensive assistance and support measures on all topics relating to old age, thus rounding off the range of comprehensive work for senior citizens.

Discussion and interactive exchange in the workshop

The keynote speech was followed by an interactive discussion in small groups around three questions. The students discussed innovative approaches to improve the integration of meeting work in rural areas. Another topic was the question of how the younger generation (60 ) can be more closely integrated into the community through the use of digital solutions and other innovative approaches.

The speaker’s question “What is old?” was the subject of particularly lively discussion. While some students said that you are considered “old” if you are dependent on help from others, another group took the view that age is just a number. “A 90-year-old who does sport every day looks fitter than some 60-year-olds,” said one student.

Wagner himself took up the discussion and asked the group: “What was old for you as a child?” Prof. Dr. Dirk Reinel, lecturer at Hof University of Applied Sciences and head of the Innovative Healthcare course, also recalled: “As a child, my grandmother seemed old to me at 66.”

The future of senior citizen work – opportunities and challenges

The lecture ended on an optimistic note: although demographic change presents society with major challenges, it also offers the opportunity to break new ground in care and health promotion. ASB Dresden shows how the combination of voluntary work and professional care can create sustainable structures that not only improve the quality of life of senior citizens, but also provide relief for their relatives.

The practical insights into gerontology and the importance of prevention in old age gave the students valuable impetus for their future careers. Experts and practice-oriented events illustrate the close connection between theory and practice and show how practice-oriented studies must be designed.

At the end of the lecture, both Prof. Dr. Dirk Reinel and Prof. Dr. Matthias Drossel thanked the speaker Hanna Wagner for her valuable contribution and the exciting insights into her work at ASB Dresden.

Daniel Gläßel

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