SmartBuildingsCompass: Your guide to smart living in old age

Elderly people need low-threshold support services to help them navigate the complexities of bureaucracy and digitalization. Since these services are often not available, they need help. Credit: Shutterstock

Care & Relatives

Adult representation in Austria and Germany: Between care, freedom and a shortage of skilled workers

by Anja Herberth19. October 2025

Dementia

Robotics in care: When technology creates proximity

by Anja Herberth19. October 2025

Care on the brink: High demand is met with a shortage of money and skilled workers, as well as an outdated system. Photo credit: ChatGPT

Care & Relatives

Care is economic, location, financial and social policy – in theory. In practice, we are currently driving against the wall.

by Anja Herberth18. October 2025

Care & Relatives

“Resilience begins where I can breathe again”

by Anja Herberth16. October 2025

Research shows that poor sleep is linked to an “older” brain. Credit: Shutterstock

Dementia

Sleep hygiene is brain hygiene

by Anja Herberth7. October 2025

From left to right: Werner Beutelmeyer, CEO of the Market Institute; Elisabeth Anselm, Managing Director of Hilfswerk Austria; Othmar Karas, President of Hilfswerk Austria, at the presentation of the study. Credit: Hilfswerk Austria

Care & Relatives

Care at home: The study that will (hopefully) turn Austria’s care debate around

by Anja Herberth30. September 2025

Finding a short-term caregiver is not always easy. The new list of Austrian freelance caregivers makes the search easier. Credit: Shutterstock

Care & Relatives

New list of freelance caregivers: Low-barrier help when you need it fast

by Anja Herberth15. September 2025

Care & Relatives

Escaping loneliness: How day care centers enrich lives

by Anja Herberth3. September 2025

Featured Stories

Care & Relatives

Adult representation in Austria and Germany: Between care, freedom and a shortage of skilled workers

by Anja Herberth

19. October 2025

The topic of adult representation affects thousands of families every year. Although the systems in Austria and Germany are clearly regulated, discussions with Andreas Gschaider (VertretungsNetz/AUT) and Elmar Kreft (Betreuungsgerichtstag e. V./D) show that the number of cases is increasing and structures are reaching their limits: Case numbers are rising, structures are reaching their limits.

Care & Relatives

Care at home: The study that will (hopefully) turn Austria’s care debate around

by Anja Herberth

30. September 2025

In Austria, there is a gap between desire and reality when it comes to care: The vast majority of people want to live at home for as long as possible, but the expansion of the outpatient and mobile care system is lagging behind demand. A study by Hilfswerk Austria now provides data to back this up.

Lequembi is the first drug available in Germany and Austria that inhibits the disease-causing mechanism of Alzheimer's. Credit: Eisai Inc.

Dementia

Leqembi: What you should know about the Alzheimer’s drug

1. September 2025

Herausfordernde Diagnosen wollen viele Menschen umgehen, nicht hören. Das hat Folgen für Pflege und Therapie-Optionen. Credit: Shutterstock

Care & Relatives

Why we like to avoid diagnoses – and how we can prepare ourselves

28. August 2025

Care will increasingly take place at home – it has to. Cutting support for those affected and their relatives may save money in the short term, but ultimately the costs will simply be quietly shifted to other parts of the system. Credit: Shutterstock

Care & Relatives

Saving at the wrong end: Why cuts to dementia and family support are fatal

25. August 2025

In addition to financial uncertainties, a recent HDI survey also reveals an often underestimated emotional burden experienced by many older people: More than half (53 percent) of those surveyed fear becoming a burden in old age. Credit: Shutterstock

Care & Relatives

Comment: When the children (can’t) help – the silent worry of many older people

24. July 2025

Bruges, West Flanders: With its “Dementievriendelijk Brugge” project, this Belgian city in the northwest of the country is demonstrating how inclusion and quality of life can look like in urban areas. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia

Bruges shows how it’s done: A city becomes dementia-friendly

3. July 2025

Care is often a round-the-clock task – without a break. The “Vacation with Dementia” program offers much-needed relief – Image credit: MAS Alzheimerhilfe

Care & Relatives

Vacations with dementia: When care needs relief

1. July 2025

Heat does not have to be a risk – if you know how to protect yourself. By taking precautions early on, watching out for warning signs, and using modern aids when necessary, you can enjoy summer. Credit: Shutterstock

Building & Renovating

Stay cool: How older people can get through the summer safely

27. May 2025

People with lower incomes are 85% more likely to receive incorrect or inappropriate treatment. Credit: Shutterstock

Healthcare

Study: Poverty increases the risk of receiving the wrong medication

23. May 2025

An elderly, lonely man sits in an armchair.

Care & Relatives

Loneliness: The underestimated health risk

18. April 2025

Sendinblue Newsletter

Tech & Tools

Dementia

Robotics in care: When technology creates proximity

by Anja Herberth

19. October 2025

Social robots like Navel act as a kind of catalyst for social interaction in care facilities: People talk and laugh more. Interview: Claude Toussaint, founder & CEO of the Munich-based start-up Navel Robotics.

Care & Relatives

New list of freelance caregivers: Low-barrier help when you need it fast

by Anja Herberth

15. September 2025

The new list of freelance nurses recently published online by the Austrian Healthcare and Nursing Association (ÖGKV) provides support in the search for nursing staff, especially when help is needed very quickly.

This is what EASEE, the intelligent pacemaker for the brain, looks like. Credit: Precisis GmbH

Dementia

Brain stimulation: How AI enables new treatments for neurological diseases

by Anja Herberth

25. August 2025

Artificial intelligence is opening up new avenues in the treatment of neurological diseases. It promises not only faster diagnosis, but above all more precise and effective therapies. Dr. Patrick Reisinger, Data Scientist at the German medical technology company Precisis, explains the opportunities and developments that are emerging here in an interview with SmartBuildingsCompass.

With age, not only does the risk of heart attack or heart failure increase, but so does the complexity of treatment. The problem is that people over the age of 75 are severely underrepresented in clinical trials. As a result, older patients often receive less intensive or delayed treatment. Credit: Shutterstock

Dementia

Why older people with heart disease often receive inadequate care

by Anja Herberth

25. August 2025

The ageing population brings with it a challenge: More and more people are affected by cardiovascular disease in old age. According to an analysis, older adults are not only disproportionately affected, but are also less likely to receive optimal treatment.

FAQs

FAQs

What are assistance solutions and concepts?

by Anja Herberth

27. May 2025

Assistance solutions serve to cushion age-related limitations, minimize risks and promote social participation.

FAQs

What types of assistance solutions are on the market?

by Anja Herberth

27. May 2025

Assistance solutions serve to cushion age-related limitations, minimize risks and promote social participation. The solutions on the market are versatile: For example, they help to prevent falls or report them so that help can arrive quickly. They help to take...