Caritas takes over

Professionals build a home of tomorrow in Hülgerthpark

Resident Edith Zoufaly with home manager Elke Bunner and Caritas director Ernst Sandriesser.

(Bild: Tragner Christian/Tragner)

The standstill at the municipal retirement home in Hülgerthpark finally came to an end in the New Year, with Caritas taking over operations from the city. The "Krone" met Caritas Director Ernst Sandriesser on site. 

Hülgerthpark has been in the headlines for five years now, when Jürgen Pfeiler (SP) was still responsible for the home. Several expansion plans followed, the costs would have been 20 million euros or more. Nevertheless, they were a fiasco because the balcony doors in one plan would have been so narrow that residents in wheelchairs would not even have been able to fit through. New buyers were sought, and in the end Caritas and Hilfswerk were the operators. Caritas was awarded the contract. "We shouldn't have waited a day longer, because all deadlines expire at the end of the year," says Mayor Christian Scheider.

"The state of Carinthia and care officer Beate Prettner are also involved. The contracts are currently being finalized. Legal regulations are important. Everything must have legal certainty," emphasizes Caritas Director Ernst Sandriesser. 

Caritas will take over as the new operator of Hülgerthpark from January.

(Bild: Tragner Christian)

The Hülgerthpark senior center is located in the middle of the city and is large.

(Bild: Klagenfurt Pflege)

Caritas takes over 41 employees and 120 residents
120 residents are currently accommodated in the home. According to home manager Elke Brunner, 55 carers are on duty. "14 will remain employed by the city from January, the rest will transfer to Caritas," says Ernst Sandriesser. "The pay will remain the same as before. Caritas employs a total of 600 carers, so there are also new opportunities in terms of exchanges."

Digital training is also promoted there. "Otherwise, life will continue as before. We have until 2029, but we don't want to wait that long," says the Caritas Director.

The first building in the large complex will be demolished and the new building will be constructed there. "The state will announce the bed requirements for Carinthia in the new year, then we will know how big the building should be and how much it can cost. It will be a pilot project; we want to build a care home in line with the requirements for 2026. And they look very different to what we have done so far. We are building a care facility as it will be in the future. The cost per care bed should be between 120,000 and 140,000 euros. It will be a major challenge," says Sandriesser.

Will care insurance be introduced?
Payment for care home places will also play a role in Carinthia in the future. "There are currently nine different staffing ratios in Austria. How much should you spend? The care level is important. At the moment, the state steps in and pays the difference between the pension, which is deducted apart from pocket money, and the actual costs, which are well over 4000 euros per month. That costs an enormous amount. Perhaps in future we will need a care insurance scheme that regulates everything."

Because the shortage of nursing staff is becoming ever greater, new framework conditions are constantly being demanded from all sides. The homes themselves are also actively working on the future. "We recently bought two multi-functional wheelchairs with the proceeds from things we made ourselves," adds Brunner.