Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for a dignified treatment of old people in Germany. "Whether we have decency and warmth of heart in our society, whether we show solidarity, that shows in how we treat the older generation," he said on Thursday in a video greeting at the ceremony for the 60th anniversary of the Board of Trustees of German Elderly Aid. He doesn't want to imagine a country in which the older generation is pushed aside. "It would be a land without warmth, a land without experience, a land without memory - a land without dignity."

Steinmeier went on to say: "I would rather like a country in which we all meet on an equal footing, across social boundaries, including generational boundaries; in which we can meet and experience that we belong together."

Not leaving the older generation alone, not allowing them to become lonely - that's what the past winters of the pandemic were all about. "And that's what it will be about when old people feel the effects of Russia's war in Ukraine on electricity and heating costs this winter."

Happy about initiatives

When he hears that old people have had no contact at all for weeks and months, or that the only contacts are with the nursing staff, who also have no time for lengthy conversations, then that touches him deeply, said Steinmeier. "And I'm glad that there are already initiatives that take care of breaking the isolation of old people, from visiting services to organized telephone calls."

The Federal President thanked the Board of Trustees for German Elderly Aid for their "decades of tireless work". He encouraged the organization founded by the federal presidents Wilhelmine and Heinrich Lübke not to let up in their efforts. "Your work remains important. Because what you do is shaped by a deep understanding: the dignity of the older generation is a question of the dignity of our society as a whole," said Steinmeier.

Video message from the Federal President, Board of Trustees for German Elderly Aid