By Rolf Bona & Sabina Crameri

In Switzerland, long-term care policy has increasingly focused in recent years on enabling older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. This is because home care is generally less expensive than a stay in a care home, as infrastructure costs such as housing and household expenses are lower than in a care home. Care costs are also generally lower at home, as a large proportion of care is provided not only by professional carers but also by family members. In long-term care, there are a wide range of technical aids that can help people remain in their own homes for longer.

These technical aids can help improve the quality of life of people in need of care while also making the work of professional carers and family members easier. Emergency call systems, often also referred to as personal emergency response systems, play a key role as part of holistic and individualised long-term care. They also help relieve the burden on care staff and family members, as quickly locating a person who has fallen can reduce recovery times. Increased mobility and a renewed desire to live can also be considered positive effects of emergency call systems. Simply knowing that an emergency call button is available in an emergency can encourage people to remain mobile. People who choose an emergency call device themselves or purchase one for the benefit of their family have not given up on life and still want to remain active and independent.

On average, people in Switzerland move into a care home at the age of 84.9, although there are significant differences between cantons. In Geneva, for example, people move into a care home at an average age of 86.2, whereas in Schaffhausen the average age is 84.1. In particular, in cantons where long-term care policy is not yet as advanced, the additional time spent living at home compared with the cantonal average is considerably shorter. These cantons include, in particular, the German-speaking cantons, especially Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Appenzell, Nidwalden, Aargau and St. Gallen. The two Basel cantons are an exception, as they have historically had a high prevalence of home emergency call systems and therefore have a significantly higher average age at entry into a care home compared with other cantons.

Senior citizens who have an emergency call device move into a care home at an average age of 88.3. This means that an emergency call device can delay entry into a care home by an average of 3.5 years. For men, the additional time spent living in their own homes is almost 4.5 years.

The longer people remain at home also reduces the financial burden on senior citizens and their families. People living in a residential or nursing care home can expect costs of around CHF 8,700 per month. On average, 42% of these costs, or CHF 3,654 per month, are paid by the people receiving care themselves or by their family members. If a stay in a care home can therefore be postponed by 3.5 years, more than CHF 150,000 can be saved.

Against this background, it is also of interest to municipalities and cantons to promote emergency call solutions for senior citizens. If the costs of a stay in a care home cannot be fully covered by health insurance and the insured person, the canton or municipality must cover the remaining costs, as ruled by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in July 2018. Demographic change will further intensify this challenge for the cantons, as the number of people aged 80 and over has quadrupled since 1970, rising from 110,000 to almost 460,000.

Sources

• Bundesamt für Statistik (BfS). (2022). Alterspyramide. Neuchatel: Bundesamt für Statistik (BfS).
• Bundesgericht. (20. Juli 2018). Pflegefinanzierung: Kantone müssen für Restkosten vollständig aufkommen. Lausanne.
• Laporte, A. &. (2016). Aging and long-term care. World Scientific series in global health economics and public polic: Vol. 2 (S. 43-82). Singapore: R.M. Scheffler .
• McKenna, A., Kloseck, M., Crilly, R., & al., e. (2015). Purchasing and Using Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS): how decisions are made by community-dwelling seniors in Canada. . BMC Geriatr 15, S. 81.
• Schweizerisches Gesundheitsobservatorium (Obsan). (22. 11 2022). https://ind.obsan.admin.ch/indicator/obsan/eintrittsalter-ins-pflegeheim. (E. D. Innern, Herausgeber) Abgerufen am 06. 02 2023 von https://ind.obsan.admin.ch/indicator/obsan/eintrittsalter-ins-pflegeheim
• Sjölinder, M., & Nöu, A. A. (2014). Indoor and Outdoor Social Alarms: Understanding Users' Perspectives. Schweden: JMIR Mhealth Uhealth . Abgerufen am 2023 von https://mhealth.jmir.org/2014/1/e9/
• SmartLife Care AG. (2023). Ein und Austsrittsalters der SmartLife Care Kunden 2015-2022. Brüttisellen: SmartLife Care AG.
• SRF 4 News. (19. 11 2015). Das Leben im Alters- oder Pflegeheim geht ins Geld. Von srf.ch: https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/das-leben-im-alters-oder-pflegeheim-geht-ins-geld abgerufen