Advocates for the current nursing home sector argue that the rising costs are a direct and necessary consequence of improving working conditions for caregivers. For years, the nursing profession in Germany suffered from chronic understaffing and low pay, which led to a decline in the quality of care. By increasing wages and hiring more personnel, facilities are finally meeting the standards required to provide dignified care for the elderly.
From this perspective, the financial burden placed on families is an unfortunate but unavoidable reality of a system that must prioritize the well-being of workers. If facilities were forced to keep prices artificially low, they would be unable to attract the skilled labor needed to maintain safety and health standards. The focus should therefore be on ensuring that the state provides more robust support for low-income families, rather than forcing nursing homes to cut costs at the expense of staff and residents.
Industry representatives emphasize that the operational costs are largely outside of their control. Energy prices and food costs have surged, and these must be passed on to maintain the facility's viability. Without these price adjustments, many smaller, regional nursing homes would face insolvency, which would further reduce the availability of care beds in an already strained market. Supporting these price increases is essentially supporting the survival of the care infrastructure itself.