„28 Days a Year Are not Enough!“ Interview with the Manager of a children’s house, Sabine Schenk, about short-term nursing for children

Having a disabled child often means that parents have to care for them day and night. To give parents a chance to take breath there are institutions in Germany that look after handicapped children around the clock. The German Government pays for a stay for up to four weeks a year. The children’s house “Little Long Nose” in Wiesbaden opened in November 2005 with places for eleven children. REHACARE.de talked with Sabine Schenk, manager of the children’s house, about the parents’ bad conscience, application forms and the German Nursing Care Reform 2008.

15.04.2008

Manager Sabine Schenk supports the
parents © Zwerg Nase e.V.

REHACARE.de: Why do parents take their children to short-term nursing?
Sabine Schenk:Exhaustion is the main reason. Parents care for their children at home nonstop and need new power and patience. Often they are socially isolated since they always have to plan exactly that their child is well provided for. They cannot react on invitations spontaneously anymore.

REHACARE.de: It is not easy leaving your disabled child with someone else.
Sabine Schenk: Most often it is hard for parents the first time. They try to justify why they came to us. Most of them have a bad conscience. And they must learn to trust this institution since they usually care for their kids and know what is best for them. We explain to them that it is important for their child and themselves to regain strength.

REHACARE.de: When does one have to book short-term nursing?
Sabine Schenk: During holidays we are always fully occupied. For these times you have to book as early as possible. Outside these time periods we always have enough capacities – it is even possible to book spontaneously.

REHACARE.de: What about requests that you have to refuse?
Sabine Schenk: We do not see other institutions as being a competition – if possible, we give parents names of other institutions or tell them to ask their health insurance funds. Anyhow, there are not enough accommodation facilities for short-term nursing.

Children in the "Little Longnose" House enjoy their stay © Zwerg Nase e.V.

REHACARE.de: How long can children stay at the “Little Long Nose” House?
Sabine Schenk: Some of them stay one day, others up to four weeks – the nursing care insurance pays for 28 days a year. This comprises care, medical and social supply up to 1,432 Euros. Parents can decide themselves when to use up the 28 days.

REHACARE.de: You support parents when filling out the application form.
Sabine Schenk: We explain the content and fill out the form in together. It is very complicated, it sometimes is hard for people to even understand what this bureaucratic stuff is all about.

REHACARE.de: This seems to be quite time-consuming.
Sabine Schenk: Actually it would need someone, for example a social worker, who explains to families what their rights are. Most of the parents are already too stressed with caring for their child and do not have the strength anymore to stem all this bureaucracy. They often do not even know which kind of help they are legally entitled to.

REHACARE.de: How do the kids agree with short-term nursing?
Sabine Schenk: They need some time to accustom but they do it faster than adults. The staff does not have the permanent stress like the parents do. The nurses are relaxed and this influences the kids. Parents realise, for example, that their children’s day and night rhythm sometimes improves.

REHACARE.de: The German Nursing Care Reform 2008 provides more money for short-term nursing. Do families profit from it?
Sabine Schenk: Money does not change a lot as long as there is not more time for short-term nursing in order to relieve the parents. 28 days a year are not enough to regulate the parents’ stressful situation.

Natascha Mörs

REHACARE.de