Time to refuel

The social insurance for agriculture, forestry and horticulture (SVLFG) receives the bavarian prevention award in the category "prevention in old age" for her "nursing tandem" health program. Partners are the theresienstift bad kissingen, the bavarian red cross bad kissingen, the pflegedienst wehner bad bocklet and the rehabilitation and prevention center bad bocklet as well as the institut fur qualitatssicherung in pravention und rehabilitation gmbh an der deutschen sporthochschule koln (scientific support IQPR).

Bavaria's minister of health and care, melanie huml, emphasized the following at the presentation of the award on 4. December 2019: "especially in agriculture, a lot of care is provided at home. Caregivers do a great job. They often push themselves to the limit and neglect their own health. With the care tandem, the SVLFG has launched a truly innovative service. The training and recreation week for tandems of people in need of care and their caregivers is a great way to strengthen a particularly stressed group of people. The fact that financing is possible within the regular care system makes things perfect."

Project closes a gap

Martin empl, alternating chairman of the SVLFG board of management, briefly describes what the new health program is all about: "we have long established health programs for caregivers at the SVLFG. However, it has always been a prerequisite for participation that the person in need of care had to stay at home and be cared for in some other way. But not every family has this opportunity. The care tandem closes this gap. Our new health program makes it possible for caregivers and their dependent relatives to take part in a health week together. While the family caregivers receive information in lectures and attend courses to strengthen their everyday care at home, those in need of care who travel with them are cared for lovingly and competently in a day care or short-term care facility. All this would not have been possible without the outstanding commitment of our project partners."

The theresienstift bad kissingen provides up to four day care places and two short-term care places at a time. Facility manager simone kiefl says "we have used the project as an opportunity to expand our day care services. We are very happy about this, because other residents will also benefit from it." alexander kretz, deputy district manager of the bavarian red cross bad kissingen, offers up to three day care places and organizes the driving services. "We and our regular guests look forward to the new guests every time. The dates are known well in advance, so we can be prepared for them."

The majority of the care tandems use such facilities for the first time. "Reservations are taken. This increases the chance that the tandems will also use such services at home, either for regular relief or in emergencies.", describes dr. Christian hetzel from the scientific support team (IQPR koln) the benefit.

Participants in the first courses were thoroughly satisfied. "The offer was so varied that I did not miss any point", franz ohler describes the program. The LKK-insured man from lower bavaria took part in one of the first care tandems with his wife, who suffers from dementia. For him, for example, the information on the provision of aids that he received there as part of the nursing course offered was new: "it was good to learn what is available and how to use the aids correctly." "the dementia lecture and the discussion with the other course participants help me even now to accept the situation better", he says thoughtfully. "Until recently I could not. I almost got sick myself. Now I know: I can't change the illness, it is what it is.".