Czechia lacks caregivers and beds in old age homes

The number of beds in homes for the elderly in the Czech Republic will need to increase from 28, 000 to 83, 000 by 2035, according to a survey conducted by the Boston Consulting Group for the Ministry of Labour. Even now there is a shortage of beds in some locations and a lack of around 3,000 caregivers, according to Jiří Horecký, President of the Association of Social Service Providers. He pointed to a lack in outpatient field services, and said that caregivers in residential services were often severely overburdened. The main reasons for the lack of caregivers is the low level of salaries, the high physical demands on staff and the low prestige of the profession.