The future of care concerns us all. The active participation of citizens is a key factor in solving this social task. That's why we invite people to join in and, through a variety of formats, offer new approaches to shaping an open urban society with good local care.
It's hard to get around the public discussion on the topic of care. And that's right, because care really does concern everyone. Time and time again, the public discusses issues such as the pay of nursing staff and the shortage of skilled workers in this segment. At the same time, nursing care in Germany is currently facing other immense challenges: Ensuring future-oriented care, securing the next generation of skilled workers, strengthening caring communities or civil society commitment.
The Center for Innovation in the Health Care Industry OWL (ZIG) and the research project Open Innovation City have joined forces with the Social Department and the Social Welfare Office of the City of Bielefeld, the von Bodelschwinghschen Stiftungen Bethel and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wohlfahrtsverbände Bielefeld (AGW) to launch the initiative Zukunftsbild Pflege. They are pooling their expertise and potential in order to develop new approaches to solutions together and with the involvement of the city's society.
In this context, nursing is not purely an issue for professionals or the profession alone, but for society as a whole. However, the topic also has maximum relevance for politics, because many interrelationships are subject to national legislation.
However, there are also numerous aspects and levers that can be influenced locally by cities and communities as well as the citizenry. In this regard, the city of Bielefeld and the region are predestined to lead the way in this discussion with an open innovation process: very strong players in the health-oriented deaconry, care industry and civil society; intensive scientific research; large focus in training and studies in the field of health and care; location of the largest social enterprise in Europe; home to innovative solution approaches such as the Bielefeld Model and many other reasons speak for this.
In the future, care will affect almost everyone. The question therefore arises as to how we want to be cared for and looked after in the future. The question also has a local dimension, since areas of care are organized differently in every city. However, people's very personal perspectives on this question, especially at the local level, have not yet been surveyed. In this context, non-professional care provided by committed people definitely also has an important role to play in shaping care. It is therefore socially important to understand how the non-professional, pre-care sector can be further strengthened.
The future of care concerns us all. The active participation of citizens is a key factor in solving this social task. The Bielefeld initiative invites people to get involved and offers new design approaches for an open urban society with good local care.
The innovative design of major social tasks requires the broad involvement of citizens. Because good ideas are available everywhere in an urban society. The initiative Zukunftsbild Pflege is taking this approach and launching an important discussion on the care of the future - for Bielefeld and with an impact beyond.