»There is glory in prevention«

Although the number of people in need of care in Germany's aging society continues to rise, and almost one in two die in hospital, it took a pandemic to make society realize how systemically relevant nursing professions really are. People in home offices applauded from balconies, and politicians sang the praises of the "everyday heroes." In the summer, the nursing situation was just one of many topics on the political agenda. It seemed as if everything had not been so bad. But the state of nursing has long been in a permanent crisis. To contain the Covid 19 pandemic, fundamental rights such as freedom of the person, freedom of assembly or inviolability of the home, and the right to physical integrity were restricted. Using so-called lockdowns, it was possible to reduce the incidence of infection in Germany and avoid overloading the health system.