After her retirement, she was elected in 2013 as member of the Italian Parliament for the Democratic Party, and successively named Minister for Equal Opportunities, Sport and Youth Policies as part of the cabinet of Enrico Letta.

In the following years she focused mainly on her language school education but competed for West Germany at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, winning a bronze medal in the K-2 500 m with Barbara Schüttpelz.

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, she finished ninth in the K-1 500 m and fifth with the West German quartet in the K-4 500 m. In November the same year Idem moved to Italy where she eventually met Gugliemo Guerrini, her present husband and coach.

From 2001 to 2007 she served as Ravenna city councillor delegate for sports (assessore in Italian), as member of the centre-left Olive Tree.

On 28 April 2013, she was named a minister without portfolio for equal opportunities and sports as part of a grand coalition cabinet headed by Democratic Party member Enrico Letta.