"These were conditions that you can't imagine", says rosi schmitt. Over ten years ago, the nurse was disappointed by the conditions in nursing care, the daily routine in institutions, where the humane treatment of patients suffering from dementia is often neglected. "I thought, you have to do more for dementia patients", she tells.
She finds motivated comrades-in-arms, with whom she founds a non-profit association. The plan is to realize a dementia community for hochstadt. A long process of planning and, above all, financing begins.
Dementia community opened in 2019
A great deal of perseverance, support from the city and the district, donations and funding made it possible for eleven rooms, each individually furnished by the residents, to be occupied at the schlossberg in 2019. In the outpatient assisted living community, each resident should be able to organize his or her everyday life individually. In schmitt's eyes, a self-determined life despite dementia is the core of the housing project. The WG is self-managed by a committee of members. The residents are cared for by the outpatient nursing service, and social and music educators and other specialists are also on hand. Who takes care of them in which mabe is decided by the residents.
"With dementia, it is important to be able to respond to the different phases and sensitivities of the patients, says schmitt. That presupposes that one also knows the person and his biography. This can best be done by the residents, who are an important pillar of the whole project. In the family-like structure of the facility, members were allowed to come and go as they pleased. You can and must also get involved. " The goal is to make interaction as close to real life as possible", says schmitt. Working in small groups and providing close supervision is naturally a challenge for the staff, but they are highly motivated, says schmitt. "Because the conditions are right", she explains. She would like to see more projects of this kind in the district – but at the same time she knows that nursing homes are just as important. The WG is an alternative for relatives who can no longer manage the care alone, but still want to live together.