85 percent of the country’s municipalities have difficulty finding staff for elderly care this summer. This shows a survey that TV4 Nyheterna has done. In many places there is a risk of understaffing.
Ulricehamn is one of many municipalities that are currently struggling to bring in summer substitutes for elderly care. 77-year-old Sven-Göran Östgren lives at Solrosen nursing home.
He believes that there is a simple recipe for attracting more substitute workers to Swedish elderly care.
– There is a trick that usually works and that is the payment, the salary, says Sven-Göran Östgren.
Risk of understaffing in 36% of the municipalities
In TV4 Nyheterna’s survey, which was answered by 171 municipalities, as many as 85 percent say they have difficulty finding summer substitutes for elderly care. And when asked if there is a risk of understaffing, 36 percent answer “yes”, 29 percent “don’t know” and only 35 percent “no”.
– The most difficult thing for us is to find people who have a driver’s license and who have some experience, says Anna-Karin Asp, operations manager in Ulricehamn municipality.