[Nursing care in the area of inpatient geriatric services].

At the end of 1994, an Infratest carried out a representative survey in Germany of the life situation of people with disabilities who live in a institution. According to the results, about 660,000 people presently live in homes for the elderly and about 140,000 in homes for the handicapped. Impaired mobility is a characteristic feature for the inhabitants of homes for the elderly. However, only two of three inhabitants (63%) have "need of care". That means that at least every third inhabitant will not receive benefits from the new long term care insurance. 47% of the inhabitants rsp. 60% of those with need of care show mental disorders, which points to dementia. The living and life situation itself show that in Western Germany only 39% and in Eastern Germany only 29% of the inhabitants of the geriatric units of homes for the elderly are able to live in a single-bed room. The typical daily life normally shows routines, e.g., meal times are preset firmly. Restrictions such as no own room or front-door keys or no possibilities to keep pets are common. Therefore, quality control must be directed towards the extension of the living and lifestyle options of the inhabitants in addition to the problems of care giving. The individuality and the needs of the inhabitants must be the guiding rules for the options and procedures in institutions.