In Germany, as in the European average, 80 percent of people in need of care are cared for at home, the vast majority of whom are cared for by family members alone. The European care network Eurocarers sees itself as a representative of the interests of caregiving relatives, i.e. family members, friends or neighbors who care for people close to them.

Based in Brussels, Eurocarers coordinates the network, which consists of 76 care organizations and research institutions in 26 European countries, and advises the European Commission, the European Parliament and political stakeholders in the 27 EU member states, most recently on the development of the European Care Strategy.

Prof. Dr. Andreas Hoff, Professor of Social Gerontology at the HSZG and Director of the research institute "Health, Ageing, Work, Technology" (GAT) was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of Eurocarers in 2022. Students of social gerontology also benefit from the knowledge gained in this way, particularly in a seminar on social policy for older people in Europe.

Discussion of specific issues and the latest research findings on optimal care for older people and their relatives is the focus of the part-time MA in Social Gerontology at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The course begins every year in the summer semester. The next enrolment deadline is February 28, 2023 - teaching begins after the end of the Easter vacations.