[Investment of time in long-term care]

In a survey involving 230 persons in need of long-term care, the time required to perform support and nursing care measures was recorded and the time slices of the different contributors to the nursing care tasks were assessed. The results gave clear evidence that the amount of working time is not only depending on the severity of the case, but likewise influenced by determining factors linked to the social background. In equally less severe cases, the time spent on nursing care varied from 20 to 100 hours. In particular those with a main carer assigned to liberal civic culture, a weak informal support network and residence in an urban environment will face disadvantages regarding the time spent on their support.