Elections were just taking place in Hamburg – and now the Greens rule together with the Social Democrats. The coalition agreement has just been passed. With many good points for the older generation.
The contract has over 200 pages, the negotiations were very tough, and that was emphasized again and again. After all, two electoral winners wrestled with each other about what future politics for Hamburg should look like. And we GREEN have not managed to get a majority in the city. Nevertheless, there is a lot of green content in the contract. Our green 2nd Mayor, Katharina Fegebank, says: “We have a really good coalition agreement with a clear green signature. Many of the green ideas and visions for which we campaigned are now becoming a reality. Climate protection runs like a green thread through the coalition agreement. ”It is a shame, of course, that Hamburg will not officially join the WHO Age-Friendly City Network. But many of the content-related issues are mentioned in the contract.
Below you will find a list of the most important points.
The coalition agreement states:
We want to ensure cross-generational social participation for older people. The programs to promote innovative senior work will be further developed and strengthened if necessary. We will take into account that the needs and necessities differ depending on the social structure and other offers in the social area. Volunteering in open senior work is supported both qualitatively and quantitatively. The home visit for the 80th birthday is carried out permanently in all districts and developed further as needed.
With our demographic concept, we are also exemplary on an international scale and want to exchange and network with other cities. We are further developing the demography concept in the sense of an age-friendly city into a neighborhood-oriented action plan that is implemented across authorities. The newly established small-scale demographic monitoring provides the data basis for spatial focus areas. The focus should be on barrier-free living and mobility, local care and health and nursing care in the district. Online platforms and meeting points in the district should contribute to better networking of neighborhood aids.
The “Staying in the neighborhood” program supports the emergence of new forms of living that enable lifelong living in lively neighborhoods, even when people are in need of care. In addition, residential communities in old age and technical support for help are financially supported. At the federal level, we are also committed to ensuring that digital assistance systems in nursing and for age-appropriate living in nursing insurance are better taken into account.
Our quarters in the city should be adapted to the needs of older people. A variety of housing types and care facilities that open up to the district can support older people. Barrier-free or low-barrier apartments are a guiding principle in residential construction. In all districts, senior-friendly housing offers are to be created.
It is also about safe cycle paths, protected bikelanes, maintenance of cycle paths and footpaths, digitization, accessibility, places to meet, senior citizens’ meetings, a culture of participation, fair and equal participation for everyone, poverty should be combated on a sustainable basis. The central library is to become the home of the digital world, the range of public toilets is to be expanded to be accessible and gender-friendly.
In the future, the topic of senior citizens will be separated from nursing and come to the scientific area that Katharina is responsible for. I think that’s great, because the whole topic of seniors is a cross-cutting issue, there are overlaps with urban development, sport, health, environment etc.
The contract is a good basis to make Hamburg age-friendly! Here we go!
