Multifaceted and self-determined? Living with disabilities and in old age

Whether they are young or old, have a disability or not – people want to decide for themselves how and where they want to live. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities explicitly demands this for people with disabilities. Many senior citizen organizations also champion more accessibility and self-determined living.

Yet the reality often looks different, for example, when it comes to people with learning disabilities. "60 percent of adults with learning disabilities (so-called "intellectual disabilities") live with their parents," Tobias Polsfuß told us in an interview with REHACARE.com in 2016. He was shocked by this number. He has been living in an inclusive shared apartment in Munich for over four years now. Among other things, this inspired him to found the WOHN:SINN platform. It allows interested parties to get information about life in inclusive shared accommodations and enables them to specifically search for available units in Germany. Recently, Polsfuß‘ idea was also recognized with the Smart Hero Award.

Presently, there is still a lack of actual representative and current data at the national level as it pertains to the general living situation of people with disabilities. Yet it’s clear that not all people with various types of disabilities are able to choose their living accommodations as freely as they would like.

That’s why there are more and more projects aimed at creating the right conditions to facilitate independent living. For example, Hamburg is currently building an entire housing complex with seven floors that will include accessible apartments – specifically tailored to the needs of blind people and those with visual impairments. But the BliSS housing project also ensures that sighted people are equally able and scheduled to live there.

Also located in Hamburg, the Q8 Initiative by the Evangelische Stiftung Alsterdorf (English: Protestant Foundation Alsterdorf) likewise tries to be an intermediary in several urban districts of Hamburg and support projects that promote the quarter’s development. "It is nearly impossible to create inclusive quarters using conventional urban planning. We want to try out alternatives. To do this, Q8 combines community-oriented approaches, community development and approaches of integrating inclusion into an overall strategy," says Armin Oertel, manager and community planner of Q8, in an interview with REHACARE.com.

Largely accessible quarters also give people the chance to live and remain in their familiar surroundings for as long as possible. This is why the REHACARE Congress "We for the Quarter" offers representatives from different fields the opportunity to exchange ideas and compare notes. This year’s focal topic is "Sustainability and Funding". Numerous experts also got together last year in Düsseldorf to discuss this subject.

"Experts have already acknowledged the living quarters approach as a sustainable concept," said Helmut Kneppe, Managing Director of the Board of Trustees German Senior Care (Kuratorium Deutsche Altershilfe), KdA, at the 2016 REHACARE Congress. "In light of demographic and social changes, we need living and care concepts that promote independent living in familiar surroundings and connect as many stakeholders in the care, assistance and medical care areas as possible."

Franz Müntefering, Chairman of the Federal Working Group of Senior Citizen Organizations (BAGSO), also talked about the opportunities the development of living quarters provide at the 2016 REHACARE Congress. He emphasized that accessible living accommodations are a very key issue in this context – because they will sooner or later become relevant for all of us. "Who provides information? Who organizes everything? These aspects are also a task for the quarter. It clearly makes sense that it is mostly the stakeholders who provide information and are the ones being consulted on these issues." Doors that are too narrow and showers not built at grade are aspects that require a systematic approach. Müntefering added that the responsibilities have to be clearly defined and determined – also in the quarters.

In addition, Müntefering underscored the importance of the future quarters not to turn into segregated areas. "It is crucial that society is also diverse in the individual quarters. All generations should live together. This is the only way to ensure the sustainability of a quarter."