Shocking number of Hungarian women go to the West to care for the elderly
An ageing society is a growing problem within the European Union. In most cases, the task of caring for the elderly is performed by women. The problem has spread to Western Europe as well, but there, people can afford to get help from outside of the family. The result is an influx of workers from the East to the West, and it affects women the most.
Workflow from East to West
According to a survey, a third of Hungarians know a woman who works abroad as a nurse or caregiver, writes telex.hu. The flow of workers from East to West is affecting more and more people. As society ages in most European countries, the elderly make up an increasing proportion of the population.
The situation in Hungary is special, as many caregivers come from the East, but many also go to the West from Hungary.
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They come to Hungary from the East mostly from Romania, while from Hungary, Austria and Germany are the most popular destinations. The lack of language skills or former experience is not a problem. They have similar positions as professional caregivers or nurses. So, they monitor the condition of the elderly and are also responsible for administering medications and helping the elderly to wash.
In the case of an inpatient, it is also important to change diapers and to move and keep the elderly clean to avoid illnesses. Despite the fact that it is hard physical work, many nurses are old and retired themselves, writes ujegyenloseg.hu.
Personal stories from Hungary and Romania
Telex.hu visited many women in both Hungary and Romania. Many Transylvanian women working in Hungary started to work due to low pensions, while others chose this career for the sake of preserving tradition. After all, it has always been a habit to care for the elderly, why not get paid for it.
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Hard physical work is not a problem either. A Transylvanian woman said she only treats outpatients because of her spinal cord injury.
“As long as my health lasts, I’ll go and help,”
she said. It is not only physically but also mentally demanding work. “He was perfectly normal during the day. He talked about laws and talked to doctors. But at night, they seemed to have changed completely. He did things I could not take anymore,” says another caregiver.
Source: ujegyenloseg.hu, telex.hu