Help for seniors: New contact point highlights hidden opportunities

Help for seniors: New contact point highlights hidden opportunities

Older people in our society are often faced with the challenge of needing support in everyday life. This often happens gradually and initially goes unnoticed. An example from Denkingen illustrates this situation: The 78-year-old niece noticed that her aunt, who is frail, and her 85-year-old uncle, who is recovering from a rib injury after a fall, need more and more help. The first steps to support came through neighborhood assistance, but it soon became clear that more household help was urgently needed. This burden hit the niece hard as she had to pay regular visits and do shopping for her relatives.

Luckily, she discovered an ad for the “Weiße Elfen Baar” in Gunningen, a new service that aims to support families in similar situations. Managing director Marc Distel emphasizes that although there is no replacement solution for family help, valuable relief and support can be offered. The gGmbH, founded in 2025, now has around 25 customers and employs seven people. The transmission regions are Gunningen, Spaichingen, Trossingen and the surrounding area, and plans for expansion are already in the starting blocks. At this point in time, the company is financially in balance, as a clear need for everyday support has been identified, both from the care base and from care services.

Diverse support offers

But the “White Elves” are not the only ones offering help to older people. Social services are very diverse in our cities and can provide help from home care through social centers to private care services. Under certain conditions, support can also be provided by the nursing care insurance company, the health insurance company or the social welfare office. The helpful offers also include mobile therapies, meals on wheels, driving and companion services as well as numerous cleaning and repair services. There are special sources of information for relatives such as: Family portal, which are helpful in finding advice centers and support offers.

Another example are employees like “Simone” from the “White Elves” team, who is described as irreplaceable. It not only offers support in the household, but also social interaction, which is particularly important for older people. Distel and his team attach great importance to the careful selection of employees, including the presentation of a police clearance certificate. In addition to practical support, it is emotional support that is important to many relatives.

Financial aspects of care

Financing care services is another central issue. Especially from care level 2, there is a uniform contribution for all those in need of care, which is covered by the care insurance fund, but only partially. The costs for a nursing home place are made up of various factors, including the care-related out-of-pocket costs, the costs of accommodation and meals, and the investment costs of the facility. In many cases, however, financial support is not enough, meaning relatives often have to dig deep into their pockets to take advantage of additional services.

The “White Elves” services are aimed primarily at people who are classified as care levels 2 or 3. In some cases, relatives such as the niece pay out of their own pocket because the care insurance does not cover all the visits they need. Dominik Müller, who works in sales, supports the development of the company and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive advice in order to get the best possible help.

Overall, it is clear that the need for support in everyday life for older people and their relatives is high. It is important to find the right offers of help in order to meet the needs and enable a dignified life in old age.