The cost of a stay in a nursing home has risen to an average of €3,248 ($3,760) per month, according to the German Association of Nursing Homes (vdek), an association that represents the interests of several statutory health insurance providers. This is likely to be a crippling sum for many Germans, considering that the average pension in Germany is around €1,100 per month.

German Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) believes there's an urgent need for reform of long-term care insurance. "The gap between income and expenditure has now diverged dramatically. This cannot continue," she told the Funke Media Group newspapers.

Statutory long-term care insurance has been part of the German social security system for 30 years, as part of a compulsory insurance policy shared by employers and employees. Currently, 3.6% of income is due for this contribution. However, long-term care insurance covers only a part of the costs. Almost one in three nursing home residents relies on welfare payments to supplement their income.

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