“Team Wallraff”
Neglected residents, poor hygiene: Reporters uncover shocking conditions in nursing homes
Investigative journalist Günter Wallraff and his team did undercover research in nursing homes
© Thomas Trutschel/photothek.de/ / Picture Alliance
In a new undercover investigation, “Team Wallraff” uncovers serious abuses in nursing homes. The RTL reporters report on neglected residents, questionable hygiene conditions and overworked staff.
For a new investigative report, “Team Wallraff” was undercover in four privately run care facilities and documented numerous abuses. These reinforce the suspicion that homes run by so-called private equity companies sometimes seem to lose sight of the well-being of the residents. What the “Team Wallraff” reporters experience on site is frightening. They encounter frightened, lonely and neglected residents who suffer from sometimes questionable hygiene conditions. And they experience overburdened nursing staff, staff shortages and managers who make no secret of the cost pressure of the corporations.
“Team Wallraff” suspects a system behind private equity firms
800,000 people live in German nursing homes today, by 2030 this number is expected to rise to one million. There is already a shortage of 35,000 geriatric nurses nationwide. According to the Barmer Care Report 2021, 120,000 additional specialists are needed to cover the future needs of the homes and to be able to care for old people appropriately. Around 43 percent of German care homes are now privately owned. Ascending trend. And private operators of the homes seem to be taking advantage of the rapidly increasing need for care places.
Social scientist Prof. Dr. Stefan Sell refers to shocking studies: “The first reliable studies from the USA and Canada are now available and these studies clearly show a significantly higher mortality rate in homes and facilities run by private equity funds than, for example, in those run by municipal funds and charitable organizations.”
The “Team Wallraff” suspects a system behind it: private equity companies take out bank loans to take over nursing homes, operate them as profitably as possible and sell them again after a few years. Meanwhile, the homes save as much as possible. In terms of staff, material and the food on offer. The homes – where the team was – denies saving on quality aspects in order to maximize profits.
RTL shows the new edition of “Team Wallraff – Reporter Undercover” on Thursday from 8.15 p.m. under the title “Deported and forgotten: The undignified business with old people in our nursing homes”.