Rent increase: 18.67 euros for lifelong effort-what does that mean?

Rent increase: 18.67 euros for lifelong effort-what does that mean?

thousands of senior: Inside in Germany, their new pension notices have received their new pension notices in the past few days, and the reactions to it are often sobering. So also with Elke Madeja, a 71-year-old pensioner from Prenzlau. She received an increase in her pension by just 18.67 euros, which she found "laughable". This is reported by the Nordkurier and thus illustrates the frustrating location in which many older people stick.

Madeja worked hard in her life- first in road and civil engineering in the GDR, then as a warehouse, before health problems forced her to unemployment at the age of 55. At the age of 60, she dared to start a fresh start in geriatric care. But this work was also not without challenges because it had to be operated on several times, most recently because of a tumor. Despite the setbacks, it does not give up. She actively shares her experiences in social networks.

The situation in which many older people are in is alarming. According to a study by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which is based on over 30,000 people, senior suffer: inside over 60 years, increasingly with financial difficulties. The poverty rate in Brandenburg rose to 14.9 percent last year, which affects around 381,000 people. The increasing living costs due to higher prices for energy, living and food in particular are increasing older people and young families, such as "https://www.bmas.de/de/service/publikation/forschungsberichte/fb-658-alderfersfsticung-in-ddeutschland-2023-Schlungbericht.html" Class = "Source_2"> BMAS Notice.

pension development and poverty

Another look at the pension system shows that the relationship between the standard pension and the average annual wage is continuously declining since the 1970s. The pension level is currently below 50 percent of the average income, such as the Federal Center for Political Education . This means that the legal pension is not sufficient to secure the standard of living in old age.

The statutory pension insurance remains the most important old -age security system in Germany, but many are dependent on additional private or company pension schemes. In western Germany, around 56 percent of the gross income of over 65-year-olds from pension insurance, and around 85 percent in East Germany. This illustrates the dependency of the pensioners: inside of this source of income, while purchasing power suffers from shrinkings in the real standard pension.

With all these developments, paired with personal fates like that of Elke Madeja, it becomes clear that the challenges for many older people in Germany are enormous. They are not only faced with financial, but also for health and social problems that earn more attention in society.