[Nursing care insurance--facts and prognosis]

There are in the Federal Republic of Germany at present 2% of the population "needing care" (80 m/1,65 m), 450,000 citizens are getting now in-patient treatment, 1.2 m are being looked after in family circles. The public opinion dilemma (rise in the rate of old people to the total population--declining birth rate) will be in 2010 so marked, that the number of people needing care will rise to 3.5 m. 85% of these patients will be then past 65 years. At the moment social discussions of drafts regarding financial guaranty for nursing, questions of infrastructure and compassion of the welfare are partly controversial. Unanimity has been reached, that prevention, active treatment and rehabilitation must be intensified before the onset of the nursing requirements is initiated. The paper informs of the actual making-up of the people's mind. Preliminary works regarding a statutory regulation for a welfare guaranty should be settled by the end of 1992.