Down Syndrome: Three Sisters and Their Own House

01.01.2008

The young woman are proud of their
own house © Aschenbrenner

„Mom, do you and Dad want to visit us for a cup of tea? I laid the table.” Only since Petra (24) who has Down syndrome lives with her two sisters in an own house she got so self-reliant that she invites her parents to a hot drink.

In Germany it is still quite unusual that people with Down syndrome live alone. For a long time people thought they would not be able to do this. Round about 50,000 people in Germany have Down syndrome. It is a genetic disorder which causes a learning disability. Up to now most of them lived in their parents’ house, in bigger institutions or smaller living communities with about 40 persons.

The sisters enjoy their free time
together © Aschenbrenner

Letting the sisters share a house was their parents’ idea. It’s been a long time since they had been thinking about their children’s future. The girls came into the family as foster children. “We want them to get as much as independent as possible”, explains their mother Christa Petzinger, “and they should live next to us. They wished to stay together.” When a house on the other side of the street became available the project started. They did not get any financial state support so they bought the house with their own money. In October Stefanie (19), Petra and Ulrike (35) finally moved in. They have their own bedroom and share a big living room with a kitchen.

It would be easier for the parents if their daughters lived at home. However, they are glad that they started early to give them more freedom: “Mostly people with Down syndrome live at their family’s house as long as they can. This gets difficult when this is no longer possible. Our children get used to have more freedom by now. By having more tasks, like hoovering up or washing the dishes, they take more responsibility and this gives them a bigger self-confidence.”

Stefanie, Christa Petzinger, Petra and
Uli drink to their new home © Aschenbrenner

To learn how to live without the parents took and still takes some time. In the first week their mother slept in their house to give them the time to deal with the new situation. Even the cautious Ulrike could sleep alone. Her mother is glad about this for Ulrike is the weakest of the sisters. Due to her disability she already needed some knee and hip surgeries. This is why there is a ramp to her room on the first floor. People with Down syndrome often suffer from overstretched ligaments which can lead to problems with the joints. Uli also had depressions. However, she likes living in the house.

Sometimes it is harder for the young woman to do their tasks, sometimes it is easier. And without any help it would not function at all. Their mother supports them in the morning and in the evening. The Antoniusheim, an institution for learning disabled people where the sisters work, sends assistants to the house for six hours a week – like assisted living.

Even if Uli, Petra and Stephanie live on their own, their parents hold the reins. They make important decisions. Their mother manages their money which they earn in the Antoniusheim and goes shopping for them.

It will need some time to see how far the sisters will be able to live on their own. However, their self-confidence has already grown. “My children are proud when they are allowed to make decisions on their own”, explains their mother and smiles.

REHACARE.de