Old-age poverty in Germany | DW Documentary
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- 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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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.
Interesting that your government recently cut the guarantee pension for Swedish pensioners living abroad. Because I saw many Swedish pensioners living in Thailand and I wonder why Swedish government let a lot of money go out of the country😅?
I think they didn't cut the Swedish pensions. If you work long enough to have a Swedish pension, no one can take that pension away. If I worked 15 years in Sweden and 15 in Germany I would have both pensions (EU agreement about pensions) but not the full because every country would give me as much as I put in your pension system. You are talking nonsense. It is not possible to give your country for pension system, and your country is not giving it back. You messed something up
@@okinwonderland9734 There are probably differences in pensions that one has built up by working and a government handout that is granted to everyone.
Either way there will be enough Swedes that are able to survive in Thailand even with a bit less money.
@@bobdebouwer7835 Thank you. I have clearified it with someone here. He said if you contribute into the pension scheme you'll get a pension that’s based on how much was paid in and you can go to live anywhere in the world it is your money. But if you never contributed or too little then you can request for an old age pension basically it is a state benefit. In Italy it is about €5xx per month and you must reside in Italy. You can't go to live in paradise island with state pension.
Certainly Thailand is cheaper than Sweden and good climate. It is not a bad choice to retire there 😅. It is in my plan too.
In Eastern Europe this is "normal" for decades.
Sons help their parents 😊🎉
@@micaeloliveira2727 exactly. People in western Europe are slowly experiencing the quality of life Eastern Europeans are having for a long time. They literally looked down on Eastern European people because of their poverty. This is karma.
@@Tunderb not karma, bad governance. All could have been avoided.
@@Tunderb exactly!
Does not make it ‘right’ alas …….
The ‘top of the food chain’ ie those that ‘own and run the planet’ and this planet is abundant have manipulated legislation, finance and food to create this situation ……………
Shameful, we need change………,,,
As a legal immigrant, I find it strange that European countries keep prioritising refugees over their own people, especially the elderly.
It's called capitalism. Those who produce are worthy of life; those who don't even deserve recognition.
@@limolnarI agree. Theres a lot of ageism involved. I'm 64 and work full time and my doctors ignore me. I think they're hoping I'll just go away and die so that's one less old person gotten rid of.
They prioritize migrants (economic migrants) because they accept to work for lower incomes. And leftist accept it. This makes people angry and this explains why some people are now voting for extremists parties and abandon the classic ones.
This is one reason right wing attracts people. What to do if politics don´t care?! The current government instead of taking care of the agendas the right wing uses to populize they just blame them for beeing whatever helps to avoid taking responsibility takling the issues
Most people would need a workplace pension to supplement the government pension.
Basic government pension usually only covers basic expenses.
Same in UK. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and disaster 😢
Not really. There are indeed poor pensioners, but pensioners are also the richest social group. 1/4 are millionaires if the value of their house is taken into account, and another quarter are not far from that. Not to mention all the perks they enjoy, the deeply unfair and costly triple lock etc and of course the fact they have been voting for the Tory party and around 60-70% of them voted for Brexit, not caring a jot about the impact on the future generations and their own welfare. So no, very different situation.
@@alexkat8297 pensioners come in extremes in the UK, as they do in Germany, there are indeed very wealthy pensioners, i.e people who have lots of assets, good company/private pensions, etc. There are also lots of very poor pensioners in the UK, people living on the State pension and we´ve actually got one of the lowest state pensions in Europe.
@@Minimmalmythicist Lowest contributions too! It's the richest age group in the UK. Of course there are poor pensioners, but even more poor children...
@@alexkat8297 yeah, if I had two million € and you have nothing, we are well off on average.
But you are right: I ave seen a lot of poor young people as well. They are working full time and are still poor. One reason is way too expensive housing and energy costs.
@@alexkat8297 assuming you are UK citizen, tripple lock is also for you. Think about it, one day you will also be pensioner applying fo state pension. Yes, you have to apply for it, otherwise you will not get it.
This is happening everywhere. Politicians don't care about seniors because they aren't the high spending consumers their corporate owners want.
They no longer have an income that can be taxed but are a net loss financially for the government. They are often unwell and cost said government much more money to care for their medical needs than a young person who has the ability to make money for their government and isnt going deaf and blind!. The only thing governments are concerned about when it comes to the elderly is how to get them to die faster! Sorry but that's just the way it is.
Politicians get paid to bring people into poverty, American companies pay, and offer them positions after their term in politics, why do you think Scholz forgave 100 Billion in taxes and to whom, and he gave America a 100 Billion defence contract for F35s, that cant carry german Taurus rockets
Your spot on .. its everywhere in the west6
It's not politicians, it's capitalism.
It’s happening in developed countries in the Far East such as South Korea and Japan. I met senior citizens in Seoul in Spring 2023 who still had to work full time has hotel housekeeping and cab driving. Their adult children do not look after them as was expected just a couple decades ago.
Excellent documentary, DW. The same happens here in my country, Argentina.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!
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.
Sad how a US veteran can be homeless, but illegals get a decent hotel room just for existing.
What angers me in the U. S. is seeing how the military complex bamboozles young people into joining, then when they're through with you, they simply discard you like trash.
@@breal7277they don’t necessarily though? Especially if you make a long career in the military. My father spent 30 years, they basically pay for everything for him, paid for my $40,000-a-year university, his healthcare, his pension… the VA is pretty bad though.
It's how you think of things @@breal7277
@@benfreiler4054 your a lucky one.
My husband was into military and nobody gave our daughter a free ride.
Why is this documentary so short when this is a real issue.
🤔🤷🏻♂
It doesn’t affect the “new Germans” so it doesn’t matter to the lugenpresse
Short attentionspan in the young people, 45+ minutes docu won't be watched. This ends up as a news item with a lot more potential views.
@hillockfarm8404
Maybe dw has the 15 second ticktock version 😂
I always feel sorry for old people in Germany who work so hard all their life paid taxes, and now they look for empty bottles in garage bins, I had loving grandparents and seeing their age people on Berlin streets brakes my heart,
Instead of sending money to other war countries like Ukraine and spending in illegal immigrants who come from boats, better give some money to this citizen who deserves
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.
It feels like abandonment and neglect when people just stop helping out the parents in this kind of situation. I will not hesitate to have my mother-in-law live with us and I wish more people would do the same thing.
honestly... depends on the parents. also if the choice for "sandwich" generation is between raising their own kids or supporting parents - of course you should rather invest into your kids, that's your job as a parent. caring for elderly is therefore also a luxury not everyone can afford (both time-wise and money-wise)
@amistiel "invest in kids"... please, don't be absurd. That should not be defined as business. as it sounds from what you have written. 30 years back, it was not a discussion at all if one should look after a parent.
@@name_it you read too much into "invest" portion of what I wrote - as I mentioned, sometimes there's a decision to be made - to be able to afford supporting kids or parents and in that scenario it's normal/natural to choose to support own kids. if you don't like the word "invest" so much :D and true, 30 years ago we lived in a very different world, with very different economy. if we would be working where we do now back then, instead of attending kindergarten, we too would not have been discussing this difficult topic :)
@amistiel no offence :) I apologise if I sounded rude... yes, you have right. I personally don't have to make that choice.
It seemed that the loneliest lady - Inga - was the most hopeless one. It looks like its not only a financial issue.
Yes, I agree. She has some other personal issues going on.
Absolutely true. The children in Germany don't want to have anything to do with their parents. It is the exception here to look after the old folks.
Poverty makes you lonely.
@@AlexisHiemis Certainly true, especially if you were poor when you were young, and remained that way.
As a German retiree, I feel for my fellow pensioners. The pension is not enough to cover the costs of living in Germany.
Did I misunderstand the video? This pension is optional and private, not something that they must pay taxes into?
Croats who move from Germany home to Croatia as pensioners now have on average less pension than Croatian pensioners who receive their pension from Croatia on average, that still some Croats move from their home country is an enigma to me, but many have started to move home before the retirement age from different countries such as Ireland..
I am so sorry for what you are going through. May God comfort you and sustain you
@@magesalmanac6424 No, pension contributions are mandatory. Each working generation pays for the current pensioners. And therein lies the problem. Germany has had a very low fertility rate for decades and has now an urn shaped demographic distribution. Demographers and economists already warned about this in the 90ies, and made very clear that this system is not sustainable. Adding millions of East German pensioners to the system that didn’t contribute at all, didn’t help either.
But it was impossible for a politician to touch the pension system, because the exact same people who now whinge and whine would have given everyone the boot had they done so. Now that the proverbial has hit the fan, they play the victims. Sorry not my problem. You messed up, you live with the consequences.
It’s optional if you are self employed.
"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.
Not really.
I think you missed the point.
@@peterseth3296 So Right!
And no gun nuts or Christian talibans !
@@peterseth3296 I understand "1 is too many" but is 0.16% of US population homeless unexpected? How many of those make the conscience decision to take drugs instead of care of themselves. $1.2T in wealth transfers a year in the US has to be enough.
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.
I can't but agree with you, besides are you an African?
I wouldn't wish this on anyone...
Hopefully young people will begin advocating for those who can't. It's time.
Another stupendous piece of reporting from DW.
Thanks for watching!
Same in America for Many Millions & our most corrupt politicans dont adress or admit to this poverty.
In America..people who admit and wish to tackle these things are called Socialists and Communists..
modern politicians are career politicians, for them its a job and the electorate is just in the way.
What about the corrupt corporate giants who took away defined benefit pensions in favor of 401ks? You like to blame the government but it's really business practices over the past 40 years that have created this situation. Shareholders just gave Elon Musk 56 billion dollars. Are you serious?
Too much money spent on war and weapons and policing the planet.
US has a completely different pension system.
"There is no more pleasure in life if you can't take part in it" Strong words right there
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. ❤
yeah, sure, it´s better than a third world country, but it´s still not good and these people do have difficulties getting access to food.
Being a disabled person, unable to work in Germany, many of the interviewed people seem relatively wealthy to me.
They could live better, but government spends money supporting slackers from third world countries.
Still much better off than many in this world.
@@malkontentniepoprawny6885 well, they´re not "slackers", you couldn´t imagine the journey people have completed in order to live in the West.
Also, it´s simply not true, if you mean foreign aid, the foreign aid budget is tiny compared to the blowing people up budget.
You also can´t just walk into a country and claim benefits immediately.
Very sad to see this happening to old people 😢
It every where these seniors r much better
I think u haven't seen senior poverty in Asia countries
@@pennyc8252 I’ve seen bad conditions in Thailand and Hong Kong. May god help those who suffer from poverty.
Yes, that's the sad fact in Germany too. If you are poor, you are also very alone without any contacts with all the consequences it entails.
If you want to live well, don't work, just come by boat.
@@malkontentniepoprawny6885 If you address me, here my question for you: What or which boat do you recommend me to take and where to? And will I be treated better elsewhere than in the country I was born, lived and worked? If yes, I'm prepared to leave.
@@MendeMaria-ej8bf I think he means the refugees from Africa who came to Europe by boat and get the state benefits for refugees. I think in Germany the state give about €450 per person per month. Those money can be used to help the poor pensioners perhaps. However, those refugees shouldn't get that free money for long. The state should force them to work as they are shortage of labours
Anyway,I don't think it is nice saying like that 1 in 4 ppls came by boat died in the sea. They have hard lives too unfortunately.
@@okinwonderland9734 Thank you for your comment. What I meant to say: People in a so-called rich country should not be poor while there are more and more millionaires and even billionaires.
@@MendeMaria-ej8bf In theory Yes, but you need to have good system too. After I watched this vdo I think German pensioners' problems are housing and cost of living. With €800 pension per month and still have to pay rent is impossible to live well. Things have to be changed towards Socialism like in the Nordic countries , for example, encourage citizens to contribute more for their pensions, housing aids for pensioners, special grocery discounts for pensioners etc.
By the way, I think ANTI immigration policy by the far right isn't the solution. It will only create MORE problems, hatreds, tensions and society devided. The cost of living in Europe increased because of the Russia war not the immigrants. The housing problems are on-going problem in Germany and some other countries in Europe like Ireland which hasn't been solved. Now it is time.
Regarding the immigration, the only way to solve is to make the existing immigrants to integrate well and fast enough e.g. learning language and useful skills,to start working and contribute to the society. Germany is aging society and obviously in need more young people to work.
Regarding the extra rich citizens, use the socialist policies by taxing them more, tax the windfall profits, tax their business for green policies etc. don't let them exploit the country and don't pay enough.
That's what I think.
By the way, I am from Thailand. I live and work in Europe now but the the end I will go back to my country to retire. Although, the cost of living in Thailand is not so cheap as it was before as we have high energy and fuel prices too and we never get any help from the government, but we try to survive ourselves. My mother has no pension but she has income from renting 2 apartments about €550 a month and she lives OK in her own home. She grows fruits and vegetables in her garden and give away for free to the poors in the area especially the Myanmar workers. She has her cycle of friends to go out doing activities together. She hardly complains of anything.
I am 59 and the first of Generation X. I am also dreading retirement and old age.
The UK is not a good place to be old.
It is very unfriendly and life shortening; more so when you are not rich.
many people from your country come and live here in Bulgaria. If it is an option for you - you can consider it as well. Life here is not luxurious, but is calm and peaceful, a lot of the Western issues don't exist here. There are many Britts expats, who run their UA-cam channels and give advises for people in your situation.
Just be careful not to become victim of some sort of scam. Think and plan ahead and be careful, double check everything.
I wish you well, whatever you decide to do.
I have NEVER been in a country were people were as friendly as in England - perhaps its's you!?
Same here in my country too (UK). The guy at the end summed it up, "the gap between rich and poor is growing wider". In fact I'd say its become a chasm.
This is happening in the US as well. We live in a plutocracy and it's the same everywhere because corporate greed is king. They have forgotten the lessons of the French Revolution- but one day...
Im from India, working in Germany. It was completely a new thing to me how socialistic system works. In India in many families old age people are taken care by their children not by some state system. Here in Germany and other similar countries the system makes the people to get away with that responsibility putting financial pressure leaving people isolated especially at the old age.
After a careful thought , understanding here how the system limits ones potential when you are at an young age eventually making vulnerable, I decided to leave Germany soon. May god bless these people..
My country has a similar system, but the money given by the state is not enough for people to survive on, they still need help from family. People who have no family are screwed!
What I realized is that the perception that "It's not my responsibility, the State will take care of it" has led society to fall apart. People don't care about their neighbors and people around them suffering anymore, they don't feel a sense of personal responsibility to fix it, because they believe that's the role of the state.
So, I agree that countries like India might be better off. I've seen people from there be a lot kinder and generous to each other...
@@sara_sofia_1984 Thank you for sharing your opinion. Hope things will get better soon.
There's good and bad things in everything. Coming from asia also, the family system you mentioned can also be abused by bad parents, wanting to always be put on a pedestal by their children, gaslight their children, they cannot even have their own lives.
It doesn't work here though. Many young people barely earn enough to support themselves, let alone their parents too.
In developt countries a system based on families caring for the old does not work. Children often have to leave the place of their parents to find work or study. Back in the days there has been a housewife which took care of children, elderly or disabled in the family. But today both parents have to work to afford living. There is often no time or space for the old.
When my father got disabled in old age, I and my mother took care of. I only could work a few hours a day these times, I was barely living from my savings.
So if anyone does this, be aware that you won´t be able to pay a lot in the pension fund and therefore you will be poor at old age, too. This is the system.
I have $200.00 to $400.00 a month after bills depending on the time of year. Propane dents the budget in winter. After three more years my debts will be paid off. I’ll be in much better shape then. If I didn’t plan on having low housing costs in 2008 ,I’d be in big trouble now with skyrocketing rents and mortgages.
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.
Turkish older people are trusting. They trust their neighbours, relatives, hence they are open for interaction... Dutch or German older people, on the other hand, are always suspicious, they afraid of their own shadow!! You offer to buy them a coffee or simply ask about weather in a queue, and they give you the look of "what do you want from me?" 😂 Then they complain of loneliness... 😂 My parents are Turkish and my parents-in-law are Dutch-German so I know it first hand... Westerners simply don't like human interaction as much as they say they do, but they don't want to be alone either...difficult people to understand
As a retired, single Canadian, our cost of living is one of the highest in the world. But, you can find ways to make life more affordable, I didn't know anyone that I wanted to live with full-time to share the rent: therefore, I decided to move to a small town where I could afford to buy a very small apartment. I shop only in used markets for household needs and clothing. My major expense is food. Not paying high rent in a city is probably what has benefited me the most. It wasn't my first choice of where to live, but it gives me a lot of peace of mind to not have to pay ridiculous high rent.
Okay, so they have to give up their friendships and families to move far away to a foreign but cheaper small town ? That sounds horrible. Do you know that lonelyness is a cause for alzheimers and depression ?
@@alleaufihreposition You obviously have never met any Canadians. We can make friends with anyone :) I could be curious to know where she moved as even small towns are expensive now and no one I know that is hard up on money is buying a "cheap" apartment. There aren't any.
As an American, I look at the problems in the US, and I am horrified. I thought Germany had a better social program. I never thought I would see a story like this from there.
@@GKP999 - same problem as in a number of other western countries - governments cutting back on all forms of social security due to large national debt and insufficient tax income... one good example being britain... there seriously needs to be a major tax reform in most countries... the super rich whether individuals or companies need to be paying more...
@@alleaufihreposition I am one of those who is doing just that- forcing me to make a life in a town where it is more affordable. This is a way of life for a larger part of the world. One way or another we have to sacrifice. They are unhappy with the high cost of living in the cities where they live. Maybe moving to somewhere more affordable will give them the ability to use some of their money for a holiday, for example. It is a choice, and neither is going to be perfect.
God bless Inga, I want to send her some help. How can I do that from the states? Who can I connect with through DW?
I want to help her, let’s make a group and help her on monthly basis.
I can’t sleep thinking what she said about meals…
Hi, thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to comment! Inquiries can be sent via the contact page on the DW website.
@@murtazarasheed7189Take that love, and give it to your nearby neighbors. I promise they need it just as much.
The same thing is happening in Canada. It’s disillusioning for the elderly.
BS I get 2000$ month pension and my house expenses are 400$ plus have enough savings to live very well. Plan ahead and budget is the secret.😂
Oh, they can always take advantage of the euthanasia "benefit" provided by the Canadian government. I guess that's all they have to offer to such people.
DW Documentary, vielen Dank wie immer 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!
Same in Canada. And with rents rising many cannot even afford that, let alone any bills or food. I am only a few years away and could likely become homeless.
That is sad. I am sorry about that, wish I could help.
Is there a way that you could put your name on the waiting list for low income housing? I wish you all the best.
First world country eh?
if you keep politicians like Trudeau in power you will surely end homeless ....
Give all the government money to muslims and buy them mansions and porches. All problems solved 👌
Great documentary same problems here in ireland it's scandalous
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!
I lived in Hamburg Germany about a decade ago. I'm now in California and I am a Wealth Manager. I do retirement planning often and it's sad to know that not having enough in retirement is a global problem. These people could be in Germany or in the US - two of the wealthiest countries and they'd still face the same problems. Some of it is financial education - Olle states that he wished he had put more away in retirement. Part of it is that people are living longer - three generations ago, people died much younger and this wasn't an issue. I don't have a solution, but for younger people watching this - you can't depend on the government to support you in old age. If you're going to spend 30 years in full retirement, you need millions saved/invested. The only way you're going to reach that number is if you start investing very early. If you're 20/30, start investing for your retirement TODAY
This works until there's no financial crisis and hyperinflation. Millions of people who have been saving all their lives were left with nothing. Take USSR, life savings evaporated when it collapsed. It may not be the case in the USA, but still investment and planning is not always the answer
Public retirement system would be much more effective but how would the corporates makeoney then hah?
@@ifigeniagakoudi6465 I don't know if public retirement would be more effective. Our public retirement system in the US is running in to hot water and the problem isn't with the funding, it's with longevity and people taking retirement "early" at 62. Social Security will soon be redesigned complete with higher taxes, but I think it's a public AND private solution together.
Thank you for sharing your stories.
meanwhile in Romania the minimum pension is 200 euros, rent is above 200 euros, food is more expensive than in Germany, good luck surviving...
The retired German should live in Romania on the German Pension. 😀
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that's is EU garden
@@nicktw8688 lots do that, the savvy ones are already in Spain, South East Asia etc
I am pretty sure that by the old age you are supposed to own your apartment not rent . And utilities and taxes are super cheap . And elderly have discounts . At least in my country
@@junglesuperstar9270 most Germans are renters, in cities nearly all people rent. And utilities are very expensive, especially since the war in Ukraine.
Poverty in Germany looks like middle class in the U.S.
🥺 Sending Love ❤️
I can sure relate to the story. I am a retired Canadian and through circumstances I have to rely on my pension to live here in Canada and find that to buy the little extras' in life I go 4 days a month without eating( one day a week) although a few times it was 6days due to not receiving payment when expected. Our grocery prices are totally out of control. It is only gonna get worse too as the prices' will only keep going up and the more baby boomer retire. I do have family that would help but I am not that type of person and want to rely on myself not feel like I owe someone for living. I have worked hard in my life since I was 15 when I went on my own so the government definitely got there share of money that I put in.
That's why you pay 50-70% tax, so politicians can spend your money.
On wars against the common people everywhere.
They gave the money to ''engineers" and 'doctors" from pontoon boats.
@lagringa7518 It looks like they find spending money on the war industry is more lucrative than doling it out to pensioners.
@@gilsonsangulukaniphiri5018 Basically it's the utter desertion of all our western governments from the 'useless eaters' into the pockets of the people haters! 🤐
@@malkontentniepoprawny6885 Everybody is bought today... who knew how willing these traitors would be to just kill democracy ...and all those people who facilitated their enrichment by staying overworked and under paid while being pressured to consume and stay in debt for a century... like artificially fattened cows to the slaughter house is what the former citizens have become and now the curtain is down and our usefulness ended.. as they reap all the spoils.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the German government pays "Grundsicherung." The living costs of the recipient are calculated as 563€ plus additional amounts for rent, heat, and medical insurance premiums. The actual pension amount received is then deducted to arrive at the Grundsicherung amount that the recipient gets. So basically every German is entitled to 563€ or $604 a month to spend on non-rent, non-utility, non-insurance costs. This is not generous but $20 a day should be enough for food and some occasional entertainment.
And they still winning. This is someone salary who has kids on the Balkan example. They live well if we look economy or "1st world countries" like the US, and Canada. They didn't know with the money properly when they were working, and now is everyones fault.
Old age poverty isn't taboo. It's being discussed and HAS BEEN being discussed for decades, with a rise in discussions after the reunification. Thing is, the people who make the laws never experience it, and that's enough for them to claim that it can't be that bad...
Typical ignorant politicians. I have seen some of them in german Talk shows. Its almost unbearable to listening to those lies they tell and their ignorance. They plainly deny everything.
Same thing happening in the USA and so many countries
Is rather unfortunate,, they have money's for war but not the poor 😢..
Not for war, for guests from Africa and the Middle East who don't want to work.
Also War.@@malkontentniepoprawny6885
@@malkontentniepoprawny6885 and for war
@@malkontentniepoprawny6885 true, but who cares, they wanted them, they need to take care of them now.
Informal food coops where the elderly could pool their food budgets in order to gain better buying power would be a good idea.
It's happening the same in Portugal
Portugal is one of those countries that taxes and fines people but gives nothing back - no proper parks , no swimming pools, no health centres unless you are rich . Horrible country
We have better weather and families are tighter 😢😢
@@micaeloliveira2727 climate in Portugal is crap; housing is freezing in winters, full of mould and in summers it is unbearably hot. The Portuguese have their cult of poverty and are jealous of real European countries - who know how to build houses 👍🏻
These frustrations feed radical politics in many countries.
radical politics is the answer right now.
.😅
This does not sound that bad, living on 300 or 600 eur per month, after rent and utilities. These people have health care, have food, there are organizations that help them, they can help each-other. Most o them just seem depressed because of old age and because they do not know how to deal with it.
They dont have anyone to talk to probably because they chose not to have a family.
First lady , Hilga I suppose, had 800 euro for rent, utility, aren't cheap attention and the rest, some euros for food, medicine and clothes.
600 euros a month is plenty of money, unless you have a car or a serious medical condition. They are not really poor, only poor by contrast with other germans.
No, it is not enough .inflation is very high
I think GERMANY can spare OAP from utilities bills.
Yet people still say the UK is no good. My mother is on UK Pension Credit as is better off than when she was working. She gets full rent and council tax paid, help with heating , free prescriptions, her full state pension, eye exams and a free bus pass to top it off.
None of that is free, it's paid for my people like me who work in the UK and pay tax here.
I fear for Ulrich. He is keeping his anxiety at by with cycling but he's already in his 70s...how will he manage to escape anxiety once his legs weaken with age and he's no longer able to cycle. Hope all ends well.
I feel for him as well. He is a lovely man. But, even he would admit that he made errors that led to his present situation. Although he eventually went bankrupt, when he was a wealthy young man, he did not invest some of his earnings in his retirement.
I thought the whole point of high tax is so these things don't happen?
I mean let's get real. This is "poverty" in a wealthy country. Gisela has 650 Euros after paying rent and bills. That's a lot of money every month! I could spend only 350 of that on food and save the rest. Poverty in wealthy countries is not being able to go on vacations in your old age.
I can’t go on vacations now! And I’m 42!
@@darinherrick9224 Same here. I'am 40 and never had a single vacation since before Covid.
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.
i really appreciate this program. i have been working part time and faithfully caring for my father. yes, my pension is meager, have to work for extra income, is a must. i feel no shame for extra dough.
Giezela is a noble woman, looking after her parents.
I will do same. I think she is rich in her karma. I decided.
a testament of the valuing of money over the valuing of people.
Not just in Germany. Look around
It's so sad. Surely these elderlies don't deserve this. Surely they worked hard for who we and were we are today.
That's results from "devalued Family " principals.
I really feel for them😢
I wish love for humanity was a trend :( I wish people had enough to eat, I wish for less suffering, I wish peace in your heart, take care of yourself because people will turn their back and it's not if ,it's when 😢
To be hungry in your old age is the worse thing that can happen to any human. I feel your pain
Imagine living on pension of only 300 EUR per month in Croatia. You need to pay rent, food, everything. Having 600 EUR after paying rent is great.
Yeah old people are neglected everywhere. This is not just German problem. In Romania it’s exactly the same🫣
German pensions is much higher than UK, they are lucky.
Tbh not the best example to show although it doesn’t change the sentiment,glad that houses in Germany on average are a lot better than in my country, most elderly here own their homes and is their luck to be possible to survive on a small pension (medium pension is 523€/month) but a lot of them need repairs and better insulation
Make a fund for these people those that want to donate can donate, we will all grow old one day and money will forever keep changing...
A hidden poverty trap here is standing charges for flat security door maintenance etc outside. We are protected against massive rent increases in community flats, but they can even double the standing charge for outside maintenance. With the increase in fuel bills and food prices, this can break you financially.
I’m sorry, I don’t think these people are poor. 600 Euros a month after utilities from pension is quite a bit of money…. plus government provided healthcare, good German public transportation… it’s all relative. And here I am thinking “is Social Security even going to exist for me when I get old?” “What about fellow Millennials in Europe, is their pension system even going to exist for them when they’re old?” For me, it’s a bit exhausting hearing all these 60+ years old always complaining about retirement when they lived in an economic era with decent pension , better wages, and cheap food and housing. My generation is never going to be as well off as them… I’m probably going to have to work for the rest of my life, while my taxes help pay for someone else’s retirement…
What??? You need to give some statistics about the 60+ generation living 'in a better time,' in most ways, you seem to think. I am 65, and I grew up and lived through my 20s (1960s, 1970s, 1980S) never going to a restaurant, not having any extra money for travel or luxuries. Everything went into saving for basic living needs. Because economics standards improved for a few of the recent decades, most young people in the West do no know how to live without the luxuries they have grown accustomed to. Believe me, many older people like me, know how to live without better than most of the youth of today.
@@ellebelle8515 You were in your 20ies over three decades? Wow, maybe you should market that skill, could be a real cash cow.
BTW, I didn’t travel nor go to fancy restaurants in my 20ies either. Yet, my pension entry age is 73 at the moment. So stop complaining, every statistic shows that the Boomers had it brilliantly. If you didn’t, maybe that’s on you.
@@fotter9567ok. I travelled every year in my twenties . Of course I ate out . I don’t even understand -what’s the big deal ? It is just life
@@fotter9567 I am sorry that you have trouble comprehending. All the numbers are there- I grew up during the 60s and 70s, and was in my 20s in the 1980s. If you want to blame previous generations for your troubles, it won't get you anywhere. I have lived most of my life working for charity as well. But, I am not less happy than any of my friends with more wealth. We need enough, but we can't take our wealth with us. Please take care.
Exactly this. I'm a Millennial. Studied in higher education until I was almost thirty, have student debt and during PhD I had a stipend so low that at the worst time with the highest rent for a small studio flat, I had about £300 a month for food, clothes, transport, etc. This was ten years ago. This was absolutely doable. So the woman whining that €600 a month is too little is insane. And at least they get some kind of state assistance. We are now forced to pay taxes that go towards state pension without a guarantee to get state pension of similar purchasing power at age 65 (retirement age when I started paying taxes, so when I started the "game"). Note that PhD level jobs don't pay nearly as well as they did a generation ago. I started out below the national average income despite a science PhD from an amazing university, I was 30 already.
I am really curious, do families not help their parents? Or maybe the stories in the video were from people with no living families?
Also I'm realising poverty is very relative. Germany's poverty is india's lower/mid middle class. They receive just enough money to pay rent and utilities, and everything else needs to be managed by government provided food or a second job.
Western culture doesn't value family
The children don't give any money because their parents are in relative poverty. For example, one grandmother wanted to eat a goose - that's pure luxury! Many young people have never cooked a goose at home. Many complain that they can no longer afford expensive bakery bread and store-bought cakes, while the millennials never could. In this documentary, you could also see that the pensioners want to meet people outside instead of inviting others to their home for a café. This doku was not an example that really shows poverty. It just shows high expectations.
Not everyone has or wants family help. Don't ever get in the mindset that is why people have children and they'll always be around. That's thinking from the old agriculture generation in the late 19th century.
@@Goldzwiebel that's what I thought too. But then I thought maybe their living standards have been higher than me all their life and now adjusting to lower standards might be an issue for them? I don't understand it very well. But I'm trying to.
@@Oldeagle66 agreed. They must have planned something for old age, if they were not relying on their children. Some savings/investments Maybe? I cannot imagine relying on my the money from my pension account, unless I'm actively investing much more than the mandated amount in it.
Its funny how in the netherlands 2% of 65+ lives in poverty with a simular pension system. The pension system makes the difference.
Poverty in old age seems to almost always be accompanied by lack of a community/partner. In indigenous cultures the elderly are incorporated into the community as valuable and wise members, and though partly the difference is our societies operate on the basis of independent/partnered individuals vs tight knit community groups, it’s also the case that rapid advancement of technologies means that accumulated knowledge of older individuals unfortunately quickly becomes obsolete. (Bit of a tangent, but seems like rapid pace of advancement brings wealth to corporations via increased productivity and profit, but really has deteriorated the quality of local societal life.
Seems all the more critical nowadays to build strong community and partnerships early in life, so that even when, in old age, society considers your life experience redundant or irrelevant, and doesn’t want to be bothered to provide you the support you need, you have a community and social safety net to help you. Ditto for poverty at any age, really.
Its true about the rate of change. There is a natural rate which keeps ecosystems in balance and there is an unnatural rate that causes ecosystems to collapse. People put too much focus on the individual and what the individual must do (and corporations are happy to amplify this narrative). But the individual plant cant survive if all the resources of the environment it lives in, get sucked up by weeds. Corporations have become like weeds. Weeds are very good at what they do, very efficient and spread very fast, far and wide. The only way to sustain their unnatural rate of growth is to extract more than anyone else out of the environment. Kings and Queens used to do it with armies, now corporations do it with finance (pension funds are great targets). We know how to spot and kill weeds to keep the ecosystem healthy and in balance. And this is going to be the fate of corporations. Just like it was the fate of Kings and Queens. Gen Z will see the transition through from mindless Growth to mindful Sustainability.
Well that will happen to my generation, too! Working till 70/75 and not able to pay your bills anymore!
I love brown rice and beans and they are a complete protein. Add in some veggies and you are good to go. Hopefully you will have enough left to purchase other things.
Hi dw
How can I contact this women who was nursery teacher and have left hope.
Please guide me, I want to help her on monthly basis.
Thanks
She looked so tired and iron deficient! I felt so bad for all of them, it especially her! 😢
If you dont save money, start today, If you dont invest, learn how to today. If you dont have an emergency fund, start making one day. Poor planning and thinking the government will come to your rescue in your time of need will be your financial downfall.
Watch for the pensioners collecting bottles & cans or do 'dumpster diving' for food. It is shamefull to see.😮
It’s normal in Finland
Wow well us aussies r living like kings then if he only has 300 left after rent n so on for a hole month lol but dont forget that guy lives in a big city like Munich so no wonder he cant afford more than just a one room apartment
This is so sad when the elderly suffered of situation like this and I felt scared to be old like them I wish die before I come to this age that even I can't work to pay my bills 😢...
you are a great country. you report these things and disuss it openly and let the world know it. we envy this.
Gisela is such a nice person and I hope she does not encounter more difficulties. At least there is public health insurance in Germany and besides poverty, all these seniors also suffer from loneliness. If there are friends or a social circle people always get some material help. Loneliness and poverty are the worst combination.
Why don't these people live in the country side where plenty of open lands are available? we raise chickens, fishes, goats, fruits, and many types of vegetables -- so we produce our own foods. Our living costs of living dropped drastically by living in the country side, and food costs is/are basically NEGATIVE (we sell the excess foods we have).
Land in the country is too expensive for them.
@@trollsneedhugs Many farms will gladly accept farm hands to help with production. I've never met a farmer who would NOT share the harvest of the land, if people are active in production.
@@juntak75and how does an older person with bad back, health conditions etc do that exactly.
If you are exhausted by a small job in the morning, how do you find an employer?
@@patlong8449 NOT everyone in life can be SAVED -- you will always have LOSERS (aka: they're DEAD no matter what you do with them). So focus on those whom can be SAVED, and leave the GONERS be gone (they have ZERO hope). In the countryside where farms are located -- farmers have DIFFICULTY finding workers (this is true in rich countries, and in poor countries). Even if they do NOT give you decent salaries, then as long as you are a productive worker -- the farmers will usually give you FREE housing and FREE foods. Obviously NOT GREAT; however, better condition than being homeless and dying on the streets.
Well, that was an eye-opener about old-age poverty in Germany. I live in the US but for decades I had heard about how great the social services are in Germany for its citizens but especially for refugees and immigrants. You read how they are provided with housing, medical, “kinder geld”, jobs, school, training, etc . . . You read about how foreigners are flocking to Germany to take advantage of studying in German universities and all the help they get to integrate. The reality is that even the local citizens cannot even find a place to live because housing (apartments or flats) are so scarce. For every vacant apartment, there are like 50 or more applicants and the best bidder gets the place. If you’re fortunate to get the apartment, it will be totally bare; just some wires hanging from the ceiling; not even a kitchen, nada, zilch. I lived in Germany 48 years ago and I remember I had to be on a waiting list for 4 months waiting for an apt and when I finally moved in, it was bare bones. An AVERAGE apartment here in the US will always be equipped with a full functioning kitchen; stove, refrigerator, sink, counters, cabinets and sometimes, even a dishwasher.
Sure, the US has its own problems but people below poverty lines get some type of assistance; housing, medical, food stamps, etc . . . People here in the US who complain about getting a very small social security check, are the ones who never put enough funds into their retirement fund or did not secure their retirement. I admit the health care system is pretty bad here but again, if you’re indigent, Medicaid will take care of that. I have a family member with dual nationality that thinks going to Germany 🇩🇪 will be the answer for a better life. I tell him, “the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence”.
Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts. 😊
These are the ones who built up these very rich countries and paid taxes for decades but are now utterly abandoned by their governments completely. In Canada it is the same.
It's not possible I can't believe myself
I feel very sad
Be a German language teacher in India. You can have enough food & rent a decent home in any city of India.
this is the same un every country
seniors are no longer looked aftered by their own families or no decendents
Encouraging home-ownership earlier in life works as a protective.
I also developed health problems in middle-age, but by then my monthly mortgage payments were way lower than rent would have been.
I can still work part-time and earn enough to live on.
In retirement the mortgage will be paid off.
This is a terrible shame! And it is happening all over Europe. Incompetent politicians are to blame.
In the United States, the federal government specifically states that Social Security payments should NOT be a pensioners only source of retirement income!!!! The average SS payment in the USA is only $1,400 per month per person which puts most retirees at near poverty in the USA.
Croats who move from Germany home to Croatia as pensioners now have on average less pension than Croatian pensioners who receive their pension from Croatia on average, that still some Croats move from their home country is an enigma to me, but many have started to move home before the retirement age from different countries such as Ireland..
Gisela is a sweetheart. Bless her.
I am an inmigrant living in Spain. There is no pension for me here, nor any financial support. The working years I did and still do, don't earn me not even the slightest pension. Being an inmigrant, there is no family to support either. Here it is not only your health which determines the age you can reach, but also (or even more-) your economic situation.
German's middle class (or what's left of it) reaction to this: alexa play despacito
The nuclear ban and renewables mandates are killing these people in Germany. 😢
Good. They voted for this .
I feel sorry for the the two ladies because life sometimes truly throws you some massive curve balls and what happened to them could happen to anybody. To the self-employed guy...only partially. I feel for him because I know what it means to be self-employed but the fact that he admits that had frittered the money away and lived after the motto " man gönnt sich ja sonst nichts"...I see it time and time again...why can't people be more forward thinking? The good times never last. They are usually short and it is a basic necessity to prepare for the lean years.
I believe this has already happened in the US where similar costs of living, rents, food, etc. like in Germany have shot up sharply leaving pensioners and the poor in peril !
Not being rude but both of the places where the guy and lady are living look cosy and warm and well looked after places. In some countries the living conditions are terrible.
Don’t give up ✊🏼✌🏼❤ is the same situation in the US
Many German retirees live in Thailand. They are loving the life and climate there. They don't talk much about Germany. Pensioners are doing it tough with the ever increasing cost of living in most of countries. At the sane time, there are many countries that don't have the pension and welfare system. We cannot rely on the government for any matters any more. The politicians don't work for the citizens, but for themselves to be wealthier.
Same around the world