New Forsa study: Generation 60+ between self-perception and reality

07.02.2023 12:54

Forsa study shows: One in four people over the age of 60 unexpectedly needed help for health reasons in the past 12 months, but only 28 percent are worried about such an event, although 98 percent know about the possibility of a home emergency call. The reality: Only 4 percent own one.

Forsa study shows: One in four people over the age of 60 unexpectedly needed help for health reasons in the past 12 months, but only 28 percent are worried about such an event, although 98 percent know about the possibility of a home emergency call. The reality: Only 4 percent own one.

Home emergency calls are not an annoying problem, but rather a clever gadget, so that at the age of 66 it is far from over. “We believe that our emergency watch is a great help for people over 60 and their relatives,” says Patronus founder Tim Wagner. To find out the reasons for this, his start-up company commissioned the Forsa Institute. As part of an online panel, a total of 1,006 German citizens aged 60 and over, selected using a systematic random procedure, were surveyed from November 4th to 14th, 2022 (1). The evaluation was also carried out by Forsa. The results on the topic of “Self-perception and reality in relation to emergency situations”:
• One in four people over the age of 60 unexpectedly needed help for health reasons in the past 12 months
• Particularly exciting: The difference is not particularly large according to age groups (60-69 years: 22 percent, 70-79 years: 26 percent and 80+: 31 percent)
• But: Only 28 percent of those surveyed are worried about such an unexpected event.
• And the younger, the safer people feel: in the 80+ group, a full 44 percent said that they were worried that something unexpected could happen to them in everyday life - whereas in the 60 to 69 group only 23 percent said
• Another contradiction between self-perception and potential risk: A total of 65 percent of those for whom a home emergency call is currently or fundamentally not an option gave the reason for this: “I feel completely healthy, so I see no need for a home emergency call.”

• There are big differences by age group: 60 to 69 years: 71 percent, 70 to 79 years: 64 percent and 80+: 45 percent

The numbers combined show that situations in which help is needed actually occur with similar frequency in all age groups - but younger people in particular feel less affected.
• The most common concerns in the specific case of a fall: serious injury (67 percent), that help cannot be called because, for example, there is no telephone available (61 percent), that there is no one on site who can help (60 percent).
• The strong contradiction to this: 98 percent of those surveyed know about the possibility of a home emergency call, but only 4 percent have one
• The most common answer to the question of whether one could imagine getting a home emergency call: It would be considered in the future (76 percent)
• By age group, 78 percent from 60 to 69 and 70 to 79 years of age and 67 percent over 80 years of age said this

This raises the question: Why do so few people use a home emergency call system when at the same time they are worried that they will not receive help if the worst comes to the worst. And: When is “in the future”? Because all age groups refer to them equally.

 “You should start thinking about it when you’re 60 at the latest.”

“It's not the date of birth that determines how fit someone is,” says former nurse, now Patronus employee Julian Sauer (30). There are so many factors such as previous illnesses, the type of work, disposition, living conditions, etc. that influence the actual physical age. Sauer, who trained as a nurse, knows what he is talking about. He cared for and accompanied patients for five years, most recently in an intensive care unit (2). Of course, there are also 30-year-olds who have a heart attack, “but in my intensive care experience the frequency increases significantly from the age of 60.” A few years later, he started having strokes and a little later, falling. Very few people had a home emergency call. “Something always has to happen first for people to decide,” says Sauer. “When a doctor or nurse stands in front of them, they finally hear.” But sometimes it’s already too late. Those affected often lay on the floor for several hours or even whole days until they received help. Every minute often counts. “And in the end, when you fall, it’s no longer the injury from the fall itself that’s the worst thing, but rather lying down for a long time is the problem.” Because: vital signs and psyche suffer. “Then it is often difficult to get back to the same level as before.” His recommendation: If you have previous illnesses, you should find out more about home emergency calls from the age of 40. Otherwise from 50 – but no later than 60.

About Patronus

Inspired, among other things, by personal experiences in the family, the two university graduates Ben Staudt and Tim Wagner founded the Patronus Group in Berlin in 2020. With their emergency call watch, they want to make technological progress accessible to older people. In an emergency, the Patronus watch can be used to make an emergency call and to communicate with relatives via an app. As a device with a lifestyle character that can be used anywhere in Germany, it is a modern replacement for the classic home emergency call. The Patronus watch not only looks good, but also gives users security and independence. The Latin name (patronus = patron, personal protector) reflects the company's vision of establishing itself as a central digital platform for the health care of older people in the long term. More information at www.patronus-uhr.de.

The Patronus watch is a nursing aid within the meaning of Section 40 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 SGB XI. On request, nursing care funds can cover the usage fee for the Patronus watch on a pro-rata basis, provided the individual care requirements are met. These are usually the case if the person in question a) has a level of care, b) lives entirely or mainly alone and c) in an emergency may not be able to make an emergency call over the telephone. If the requirements are met and the application, with which the start-up can help, is approved for pro-rata cost reimbursement by the nursing care insurance fund, the users of the emergency call watch must proportionally cover the monthly costs incurred for 24-hour availability of the emergency call centers carry. At a pro rata assumption of costs Those interested can choose between three tariff options:

1. Monthly package for 18.70 euros per month,
2. Annual package for 8.70 euros per month and
3. 2-year package for 2.00 euros per month.

Without pro rata reimbursement of costs Those interested can choose between two tariff options choose:

1. Monthly package for 49.00 euros per month and
2. Annual package for 39.00 euros per month.