Due to societal processes, such as demographic change or advancements in medicine, the number of people requiring medical care increases steadily. Most people in need of care are not cared for in hospitals and clinics, but in their very home. Despite the majority of them being cared for primarily by family and friends, ambulant care services are crucial actors in upholding and shaping these home care arrangements. However thereby, home care infrastructures are predominantly focused on smooth day-to-day scenarios. Grave disruptions of everyday life (i.e. power cuts, floods, pandemics) constitute extraordinary challenges to these infrastructures’ workings. Providing in times of such crises nowadays falls under disaster management services’ command due to its organisational structures. Said institutions, however, are insufficiently equipped for the task of providing and caring for such a large number of people in need of (home) care. Structured and planned cooperation between both systems, disaster management services and care infrastructure, is lacking as of yet. Therefore, in times of crisis, a supply gap may arise.

To improve this situation for people in need of home care in times of crisis and catastrophes, AUPIK intersects at this crossroad. The overarching aim of AUPIK is thereby to strengthen home care infrastructures’ and disaster management infrastructures’ resilience. For this purpose, it is key to find ways to improve the interconnection of both infrastructures. Hereby, home care arrangements are intended to be upheld as long as possible, for people to remain in their familiar environment even in times of crisis. In case this arrangement becomes impossible to uphold, organisational alternatives for the temporary centralisation of home care infrastructures are to be developed. Besides a general focus on security of supply for people in need of care, this research project further engages with the security of supply of people in particularly extensive need of care, i.e. also those in need of intensive medical-technological support (for instance, due to artificial respiration). Within AUPIK, concrete political recommendations for actions, concepts of support, as well as information and education materials for disaster management services and care infrastructure services will be developed.