Helping Hand for Caring Relatives

01.11.2006

 
Caring relatives need more help
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1.4 million people in need of care live at home in Germany. 68 percent are being cared for by relatives in their own flat - all day long and round-the-clock. Often these relatives feel exhausted because they never learned, among other things, how to take care of elderly properly. That causes mistakes that can harm themselves or the person cared for.

However, there is a lack of support from the outside especially with information. For example, caring persons often do not know where they can get financial support. Utz Krahmer, professor for social rights at the Advanced Technical College of Dusseldorf, is familiar with this topic and informed visitors at REHACARE on the subject.

Krahmer stressed that care insurances are obliged to inform affected persons and social offices can also help with specific information on finances. Therefore, one should specifically ask at the social office since "social help sometimes comes up for expenses which care insurance do not cover." Thus some people may have a status of receiving more financial support than previously thought.

Another problem for people caring for their relatives is how to care properly. Therefore, the Neanderklinik Harzwald, a nursind home für old people in Ilfield, Germany, offers special courses. There qualified nursing staff shows the layman how to cater for old or ill people. The course is for free since the costs are covered by the clinic and the German nursing federation.

 
Getting old at home would be good
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Nadine Einbock, member of the federation and carer for the elderly in the Neanderklinik, explained at the congress that "amateur care is absolutely necessary for the future." Therefore, the training helps to care properly and supports the relatives in handling their load easier. Also independent institutions like the German Red Cross offer courses for laymen in addition to information about advice centres nearby.

Also so called independent accomodation advisers can be of help when a relative becomes fragile and needs care. In that case advisers come home free of charge and give pieces of advice for rearrangements in the flat. Susanne Tyll is an adviser for accomodation advisers in Krefeld, Germany. She introduced the concept at the congress: "Even changing little things in the flat can simplify everyday life a lot. There is no need, for example, to remove the whole bath. Maybe it is sufficient to just install a bath lift in order to facilitate work." These advisers can also give information on how to finance these rearrangements.

REHACARE.de