Menu
Photo: An older couple where she helps her husband out of bed; Copyright: panthermedia.net/daviles

Topic of the Month October 2018

Accessible living - with care requirements and without

Whether they live in a rented flat or their own home, alone or in a shared flat - people want to be able to choose the way they live for themselves. It doesn't matter whether they have a disability or need care or not. But freedom of choice is not the same for everyone. You can find out what challenges, opportunities and promising projects there are in our Topic of the Month October: Accessible living - with and without care needs.

Accessible housing benefits everyone
Photo: A young father sitting on the sofa playing a video game with his son. He has put his feet on his wheelchair; Copyright: panthermedia.net/ArturVerkhovetskiy
The right to housing and living in the community is a human right, which is also enshrined in Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). In it, the term "living independently" refers to self-determination and the choice of how and where people with disabilities want to live. Countries that have ratified the CRPD are obligated to ensure the implementation of this right.
Click here for the article

"Major setback on the road to accessible housing: There are no clear guidelines"
Photo: An elderly lady in a wheelchair is led by her daughter through a large, light-flooded apartment; Copyright: panthermedia.net/halfpoint
Moving – but where should you move to? That’s a question more and more people are asking themselves these days thanks to fierce competition in Germany’s housing market. The situation is even more intense and dire for people with disabilities because the country still has a long way to go on comprehensive accessible housing and urban development.
Click here for the interview with Dr. Spörke

Growing old in the country – Challenges and opportunities
Photo: A wheelchair user with her dog in nature; Copyright: Lukas Kapfer | www.th-10.de
The German healthcare system is great. Despite some of its current battles, that’s something that needs to be pointed out and should be remembered. However, it faces one big challenge - demographic change. While there are more and more community housing projects in cities aimed at making neighborhoods more accessible, sparsely populated areas in Germany are confronted with major infrastructural problems. This also affects the typically older residents in these regions.
Click here for the article about growing old in the country
Gif animation: REHACARE 2025 from 17 to 20 September 2025 in Düsseldorf/Germany, linked to "More information about the Trade Fair"

Our topics at a glance

Our topics 2018

More about…