Geriatric care in Vienna in the context of demographic change

The demographic change leads to challenges in many areas of society and economy. Particularly in the healthcare sector, the ageing of society is increasing the need for medical care. Previous estimates for Austria assume that there will be an additional demand for physicians of 20 percent in 2030 compared to 2010, with the additional demand in individual specialist groups being even more pronounced. This considerable increase in demand for physicians is confronted with a comparatively unfavourable demography of physicians: in ten years, 48 percent of all general practitioners will have reached retirement age. This gap between supply and demand must be addressed by decision-makers as soon as possible. This study sheds light on the gap in the geriatric care sector, which is facing great challenges due to the ageing of the baby boomer generation. On the basis of surveys among Viennese physicians, SHARE data and the demography of physicians, the gap in geriatric medical services is calculated by means of demographic projections up to 2050. These calculations provide the basis for the necessary political control to avoid possible supply bottlenecks.