Old-age poverty in Germany | DW Documentary

Gisela, Inga and Ulrich are pensioners – and poor. They’re constantly short on cash, even though they worked as hard as they could.

One out of five pensioners in Germany is considered to be at risk of poverty. Among women, the figure is even higher. The reasons vary widely. Gisela had decided to take care of her elderly father – meaning she couldn’t make enough payments into the pension fund. She’s feeling the consequences now, as she has to count every penny. Inga is in a similar situation. She had an accident that stopped her from working full time. Now she’s trying to save money wherever possible – especially on groceries. Ulrich was self-employed and earned well. But then his business went bust, and his savings are long gone. Three different life stories, one problem: With retirement came poverty. A film by Tessa Clara Walther and Melina Grundmann.

00:00 Intro
00:54 Out and about with Inga in Munich
02:36 How Inga slipped into poverty
04:27 Ulli used to earn a lot
06:18 Gisela cared for her father
10:26 Hope

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[foboz]

"There is no more pleasure in life if you can't take part in it" Strong words right there

[chronic]

This was a problem in Sweden several years ago but it was resolved. The government finally cut taxes on pension income and stopped paying out a "guarantee pension" to those living abroad. My pension increased by €400 a month net over 4 years of cuts in taxes and pension increases, which made a huge difference. The German government needs to take action.

[jrleach]

When Inga said "you forget how to eat when you no longer have the money." I believe that. US Veteran, became homeless in 2023, started slowly losing all my money and savings trying to avoid it. First thing I noticed was that food no longer became seen as meals or full courses. Everything is a snack or something quick to put together and go. Its so expensive being poor. Take what you can get, eat it quick, and keep an eye for the next food.

[soniat]

Same in UK. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and disaster 😢

[Tunderb]

In Eastern Europe this is "normal" for decades.

[mylifeasasociopath]

Why is this documentary so short when this is a real issue.

[hazelem]

We are from Australia visiting Croatia and other parts of Europe. I am shocked at the prices of food in Croatia. Two years ago, in the local currency, the prices increased by 30% in two months. Now, the number is the same but the currency is in euros not kuna. In other words the prices are doubled. We never saw people begging in Croatia. Now people are coming up to us every day. And the number of old Croatians collecting empty bottles, from bins, is staggering.

[CuteCatsofIstanbul]

I'm half Dutch, half Turkish. I see loneliness among the elderly in the Netherlands, but not so much in Turkiye. The main difference I think is this openness to having contacts. For example, my neighbour's husband died, both their kids live outside of Istanbul so the whole neighbourhood has empathy for her; everyone's inviting her to coffee, for walks, for hobby groups. New friendships have formed - it is great for everyone. We also always chat with each other on the street, if we have no time, we just say hello and do a friendly wave. On the other hand, the elderly in my Dutch family just sits at home and complain about being lonely. They don't show any effort. Go for a walk, go to a park, go to a hobby group, call your old friends, stop and chat with your neighbours and invite them over for a coffee. There can be lonely people in every house on one street, everyone will complain but none of them do something about their loneliness. It takes effort. The whole financial side of things is sad, but loneliness makes it all the worse so coming together is sooo important.

[roystrickland]

"Poverty" in Germany relative to USA looks much better: attractive apartments, bright places to socialize, healthy choices at food markets, safe places to exercise in the open air.

I wish these seniors well.

[Oldeagle]

This is happening everywhere. Politicians don't care about seniors because they aren't the high spending consumers their corporate owners want.

[fulloffool]

600€ left after her fix living costs. That’s decent amount of money to live. Most working ppl don’t have even 400€ left after paying their fix living costs

[pedronetobr]

It seemed that the loneliest lady - Inga - was the most hopeless one. It looks like its not only a financial issue.

[name_it]

I am a foreigner in Germany, and I have witnessed several cases of old people, some of them with severe conditions of disabilities. And to my surprise, the family members let them alone. Come for a visit once or twice a month. I dont understand it, and it makes me sad. If one doesn't care about his parents, then how to believe that that is a family at all? I have been taught otherwise. My culture and mindset are different.

[henriqueaguiar]

As a legal immigrant, I find it strange that European countries keep prioritising refugees over their own people, especially the elderly.

[srcarranza]

It's encouraging someone is putting a spotlight on this issue. Gisela's plight in particular is all-encompassing. She alone took care of her old man. We have to do better. Taking care of our elders must be a team effort not a solo endeavor. Our humanity is on the line. Either "we hang together or we will hang alone", applies. I can't even imagine the grief Gen Zers will suffer when they get to old age, if this indifference doesn't change.

[MidnightSunshine]

Been from a third world country.... they look rich to me. Have a roof, go to a cafe, have reading glasses nice clothing, tvs, etc. I hope they realize they still have some food to eat everyday, they're still blessed. Hope their situations gets better. ❤

[lazybuilder]

The elderly are such a special part of our community, we have so much to learn from them, we really need to include them and care for them better.

[alexgoslar]

As a German retiree, I feel for my fellow pensioners. The pension is not enough to cover the costs of living in Germany.

[mayormc]

Another stupendous piece of reporting from DW.

[JodyBarnettgplus]

Same in America for Many Millions & our most corrupt politicans dont adress or admit to this poverty.