By Charlotte Baumert – Evangelische Altenhilfe St. Georgen gGmbH (Germany)

Introduction

“”Where the cuckoo is at home, you find the most beautiful place to recover and regain strength””. St. Georgen lies in the heart of the Black Forest and is a medium-sized town with approx. 13,000 inhabitants. For tourists who would like to visit the Black Forest, St. Georgen offers many different leisure activities such as hiking, barrier-free hiking, skiing, museums, theatre and culinary delicacies. Near St. Georgen you can visit Freiburg, Lake Constance or the highest mountain in the Black Forest the Feldberg. Or you can take a trip to France, Switzerland or Austria.

Our Team

Our team consists of a total of four employees, all of whom are active in the social service of the Evangelische Altenhilfe St. Georgen (the Protestant Senior Social Care). The well-being of our guests is of great concern to us. The individual nursing care or the individual holiday planning of our guests is always in the foreground, so that we can also react to eventualities as quickly as possible. Managing Director of Evangelische Altenhilfe St. Georgen is Mr. Schrieder, who was also intensively involved in the concept development of AusZeit, a time-out, and continued to drive the project forward.

Challenge

In Germany, about 1. 5 million people are cared for by their relatives at home. This care is provided 365 days a year, usually 24 hours a day. Relatives who provide this care are not only exposed to physical but also emotional stress. Often one’s own limits are exceeded, with the awareness that only then something changes if one is lost as a care giver, or the partner dies. For us, these people are heroes of everyday life. The concept of AusZeit was developed for this group of people. Take a holiday with your partner in need of care without sacrificing the comfort of home care. Not only barrier-free apartments are offered, but also individual care offers are put together.

History

The concept of holidays for caring relatives developed out of an idea in 2010. Together with the holiday land of the Black Forest, this concept was then further developed and promoted. At first, 3 basic types for holidays in St. Georgen were put together, which do not lose sight of the aspect of care. – Nursing via outpatient services – Nursing via partly inpatient services, day care – Nursing in an inpatient facility The relatives are either accommodated in a holiday apartment or go to a hotel during this time. From this concept the project AusZeit – Urlaub für pflegende Angehörige, time-out – leave for caring relatives, arose in the course of the years.

AusZeit – Urlaub für pflegende Angehörige

AusZeit stands on the one hand for relaxation from everyday life and on the other hand enables caring relatives or families to spend holidays together without the restriction of the need for care being an obstacle. The AusZeit offers a broad network of care, which can be called on right from the start or can be used only when required. Unlike many other offers, the AusZeit can be booked 365 days a year. Due to the close cooperation with the holiday land of the Black Forest, not only the nursing care but also the tourist part is well covered.

Innovation AusZeit

AusZeit can be seen as a new innovation. An elderly care institution runs holiday apartments without a tourist background. The only goal that the institution has set itself is to relieve the burden on caring relatives. These should be taken out of their daily routine at least once a year so that they can continue to provide care for their relatives. This care will always remain an important component so that care at home will also be possible in the future. This makes AusZeit a pioneer in this field in Germany. Through the wide network that is provided, a relaxing holiday can be experienced.

Target group

The time-out is aimed directly at three target groups:

1. family members with their relatives in need of care Thanks to the broad network base, all levels of care can be provided and covered. At the same time, relatives are relieved so that they can regain strength for the strenuous care at home.
2. adults in need of care Like all people, those with disabilities want to live their lives as fully as possible. In the AusZeit, they get this opportunity to treat themselves to a break from routine without missing the comfort of care that they may have and need at home.
3. people who want to take some AusZeit Every person needs a break from time to time to regain strength for the often stressful everyday life or just to relax. Also for these people our offer is exactly the right one.

Facts

The AusZeit fulfills roughly three basic requirements, which can offer a suitable opportunity for all:

1. Accommodation : The AusZeit offers a total of 5 barrier-free and wheelchair-accessible holiday apartments, which are fully furnished and equipped with everyday utensils. There is a nursing bed in every apartment, as a balcony. Altogether an apartment offers space for up to 3 persons.
2. Nursing care : Through the broad network of the Evangelische Altenhilfe there is the possibility to make use of outpatient, partial inpatient or full inpatient care. In addition to this coverage, it is also possible to include neighbourhood help, meals on wheels or communal lunch. However, in order to determine the optimal solution for nursing care, there is of course the possibility of individual nursing planning.
3. Services In addition to nursing services, the AusZeit offers other services. On the one hand, a contact person is always available on site, in the vicinity or by telephone. In addition to special offers for caring relatives, the focus is of course also on individual holiday planning. In all areas, whether accommodation, care or services, the individual needs of the holiday guests are always our first concern. “