Huge success for Pilot

You can grow old “properly” in the Waldviertel

You can grow old "properly" in the Waldviertel: LGA Director Elisabeth Bräutigam (left) and Provincial Councillor Schleritzko (2nd from left) with Nursing Ward Manager Wolfgang Mühlberger and Senior Physician Elke Maurer are delighted with the patients' new-found fitness for life in their own four walls.

(Bild: Schindler Klaus)

Lower Austrians are getting older and older. And so is their healthcare system. The Center for Geriatric Medicine in Waidhofen an der Thaya is also preparing for the future. Following the great success of the pilot project, which is unique in the state, the number of beds there has more than doubled since its inception. 

The Waldviertel is clearly ahead of the rest of Lower Austria in terms of average age - so where better to locate the first center for geriatric medicine than here?

The successful model was launched in Waidhofen an der Thaya in 2022, initially with twelve beds. Now there are already 40, making 450 patients a year fit to live in their own four walls again. The average age of those cared for is a proud 81 years.

A role model for the wider country
Regional Hospital Councillor Ludwig Schleritzko was also proud to have such a successful flagship project in the region, which is to be rolled out across the whole country: "I know that almost all healthcare regions here are taking Waidhofen as a model."

Getting older is good in principle
Elisabeth Bräutigam, Chairwoman of the Provincial Health Agency, stated that ageing is a good thing in principle: "Our aim is to ensure that people can live at home for as long as possible in a well-structured way in old age. The center is being accepted, the results are great."

This is how old Lower Austria is

The number of people over the age of 65 in Lower Austria is currently 20.5 percent. According to current forecasts, this figure will rise to 29.7 percent by 2050.

The number of people over 85 is also growing steadily. The current national share here is 2.7 percent - by 2050, this figure will be 6.6 percent.

Success for courageous pioneering team
The successes are not only due to the courageous team led by senior physician Elke Maurer and nursing ward manager Wolfgang Mühlberger: Important criteria for independent living at home are scrutinized as early as the admission stage.

Regaining security among people
With individual and group therapies, people aged 65 and over are not only helped with exercise or accident and fall prevention, as Maurer emphasizes: "The community and the resulting motivation are strengthened." People eat together or watch TV together, which strengthens social safety. And this is intended to counteract the threat of loneliness in old age.