Pension crisis in Munich: 68-year-old fights against poverty in old age in everyday life

Pension crisis in Munich: 68-year-old fights against poverty in old age in everyday life

Neuperlach, Deutschland - In the greater Munich area, more than 10,000 people live in poverty in old age, mostly women. The reality for many older people is often characterized by financial bottlenecks, as Annette Huber's example shows. The 68-year-old Neuperlacher has worked a lot over the years, but today she does not make ends meet with her pension. It receives basic security because the monthly payments for rent are not sufficient. She is looking for help with the Lichtblick Senior Aid Association, in which she already received support for a winter jacket and a new refrigerator. "It's like overcoming to seek help - I feel like a beggar," she says, even though she has worked for life. The association also provided vouchers for food, which Huber describes as "quick and unbureaucratic help". As muenchen.t-online.de, Huber has the intention to increase and less to enlarge and less to be dependent on external help.

But Huber is not alone in her need. The proportion of women of the seniors who are supported by the Lichtblick is 70 percent. Many of these women were often part -time to take care of children, which leads to lower pension income. This mix of gender -specific factors and poverty in old age makes the problem even clearer: The pace danger rate of people aged 65 and over is now 19.4 percent - a worrying increase that has grown steadily since 2005. So more than every fifth senior is potentially at risk of poverty.

the way to support

The Lichtblick Seniorenhilfe was founded in 2003 and has since developed into an important point of contact for needy pensioners. They originally started with the support of 70 seniors, while today over 31,000 pensioners received help throughout Germany, which corresponds to an increase of 94 percent within four years. Especially in Plattling, where around 50 older people are looked after, it shows how urgent help is. Daily inquiries from pensioners who have difficulty covering basic needs such as food shape the everyday life of the club employees. As reports [joy-through help.de] (https://freude- through help.de/faelle-2024/wenn-fuer-fuer-ein-warmes-essen-feht-1746/), even organize social meetings to counteract the loneliness of the seniors.

The support is provided quickly and unbureaucratically; On average, an application only needs a few days to be processed. An example of this is the pensioner Anna Hildegard R., who needed 100 euros for food and received this support immediately. Older people in Munich are also affected by the problem that has to do with increased cost of living and a poor pension policy.

political demands and social discourse

Lydia Staltner, founder of the association, vehemently campaigns for more political attention. It demands a minimum pension of 1,500 euros net to ensure financial security for all seniors. The current situation shows that every fifth until every fourth woman from the age of 65 is at risk of poverty, while in men the quota is somewhat lower. The reasons for this are diverse. For women, lower pension claims often arise from child rearing and part -time work. In the age group from the age of 75, the risk of poverty for senior citizens is even 21.8 percent, for seniors it is 15.4 percent.

Social support in our society must be strengthened in order to offer the older people a worthy quality of life. The challenges increase with the upcoming wave of the baby boomer generation, since the numbers are expected to increase. The need is there - the support often only comes through donations. There is still a lot to do to combat age poverty in this country. As destatis.de, in 2023 the poverty risk in Germany was a total of 15.5 percent, and it is time to take measures to take action to the affected senior citizens grab.