As an expert in the state parliament

Prof. Dr. Hoff, professor of social gerontology and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, appeared as an expert witness on September 2, 2016, at the 5th meeting of the Enquete Commission “Ensuring Care and Further Developing Quality in the Care of Older Adults in the Free State of Saxony.” The focus of the hearing before members of all parties represented in the Saxon State Parliament was on issues related to balancing caregiving and work. Specifically, Prof. Dr. Hoff commented on the current and future role of family caregivers, factors influencing the successful reconciliation of caregiving and work, the need for political action regarding the reconciliation of caregiving and work, the possibilities and opportunities for using assistive technologies to compensate for a shortage of care resources, as well as the current status and future development of geriatric care in Saxony.

The discussion of specific issues and recent research findings on balancing caregiving and work is also a central focus of the continuing education master’s program in Social Gerontology at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The Master’s program in Social Gerontology begins each year in the summer semester. The next enrollment deadline is January 15, 2017; classes begin in early April 2017. For more information on the part-time Master’s program in Social Gerontology, please visit: www.hszg.de/studium/unsere-studiengaenge/master/soziale-gerontologie.html