Local group partners with German nursing home operator

MANILA, Philippines - The Retirement and Healthcare Coalition (RHC) and one of the biggest nursing home chain operators in Germany are set to start work next month on a project which will involve establishing model nursing homes in the country.

In a statement, RHC executive director Marc Daubenbeuchel said the group has partnered with Pflegen & Wohnen Hamburg to put up facilities for elderly.

“We hope to encourage the private sector to emulate nursing homes that adhere to international standards and spur the development of more retirement facilities in the country,” he said.

The project will start next month and will be completed in two years.

The RHC and Pflegen & Wohnen Hamburg will be working with the Department of Health and the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN) for the project.

Through the project, Daubenbeuchel said a new body will be created for checking the quality of nursing homes here.

Initially, the work will entail converting existing nursing homes in Metro Manila, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao to elderly housing that can accommodate 15 individuals.

As established nursing homes are being converted, the ADPCN will include in the nursing curriculum a geriatric program and start training students for work in facilities for elderly care.

Daubenbeuchel said the Philippines should look at how to take advantage of opportunities with the aging population seen to rise in the coming years.

“Over the next four years, the aging population will reach over 918 million. The Philippines should start the necessary taking steps to capture a good share of the global retirement market,” he said.

At present, 15 percent of the world’s population is above 65 years old.

The RHC is composed of the American, European, Japanese, and Korean chambers of commerce.

It is working closely with the government to promote the Philippines as a retirement haven.