Hundreds of elderly vulnerable, nursing homes close

Around 200 elderly people have been forced to move as their nursing homes are going to close. They have been announcing themselves at housing centers. Many more people have declared for care. "People are experiencing sadness and unease and my belief is that too little is being done to prevent this", Wilna Wind, director of patient federation NPCF says. "Next to that I see insufficient cooperation between parties that have to arrange this transit. I think that state secretary van Rijn (VWS) must do what he can to let this transit run coordinated with the concerned organization." Patient federation NPCF has opened the call center with the national Elderly Fund, and in cooperation with the elderly organization CSO, to gather experiences and determine any faults in the system. Many people have been registering themselves with the call center, in fear that they have to move. Other concerned people have also called. "We now see the result of the decisions that were made two years ago in the Kunduz agreement. I am very worried when I see this; harmonization between care insurers and institutions is insufficient, it is unclear how the care offices buy care, the human approach seems inadequate. And if I then think of all the changes that still have to come, I hold my heart. Hence the call to the state secretary", Wind says. Wind says that there should be more central supervision for the re-homing. Much like the changes in youth care, where authority supervision was also instated. People who have shared their experiences at the call center talk about wanting their wishes to be heard. An 86-year old person has said that she has to move, but that she would like to live with the same people as they get along well. She was given the answer that no promises could be made.