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When one's own parents become weak, many people are like paralyzed. Very few know whom to turn to," explains Christiane Wissing (38) from the Eldercare Team at the family service famPLUS. The trained pediatric nurse, along with her colleague Anne-Kathrin Schulz (32), who is also a trained care educator, has been helping families out of trouble for over two years when their parents can no longer manage on their own.
The two expert eldercare employees came to famPLUS through their practical semester in the summer of 2012 and have stayed because they see daily how gratefully their advisory services are received. "We see ourselves as a supporting and helping hand that walks the path together with those affected," summarizes Christiane Wissing about her work. And colleague Anne-Kathrin Schulz adds, "And we notice in practice that it is very important for someone to tell people that they should also take care of themselves. Help for relatives is commendable, but there are limits.
Exactly that's where the famPlus advisory service comes in, according to the two consultants. FamPLUS cooperates with many large companies that have recognized how important the compatibility of family and career is. If an employee notices that a domestic situation is becoming a burden for them, they contact famPLUS via the online platform or by phone, and that's where the care educators start to determine the exact needs. "We then schedule an appointment for an initial individual consultation over the phone, which lasts about 30 minutes," explains Christiane Wissing about the procedure.
Is it not difficult for people seeking help to reveal their troubles to strangers on the phone? Anne-Kathrin Schulz disagrees: "On the contrary - we are met with great trust from the beginning. The clients are very open. Almost always there is a huge sense of relief that someone is listening to their worries and taking up their cause." A big advantage of telephone counseling is that appointments can be arranged according to the clients' needs, both in time and place. Counseling sessions are also possible in the evenings or on weekends. "During the day, during working hours, hardly anyone has the necessary peace for these topics," the counselors know from experience.
First, Christiane Wissing and Anne-Kathrin Schulz take care of alleviating the immediate burden: "Often we first provide temporary solutions, for example, if the elderly mother has fallen and is in the hospital with a hip fracture and is about to be discharged. And then the question is how to proceed.
Following the principle of "helping people help themselves," the two eldercare consultants then develop a step-by-step plan. They also provide advice on assessing the need for care, forms, contacts with health insurance companies, rehabilitation, and nursing homes. "And what we are especially proud of," adds Anne-Kathrin Schulz, "is that we are completely independent. We have no interests in mind other than those of the clients." At famPLUS, there are no brokerage fees to specific institutions or organizations; the main focus is solely on the well-being of those seeking help.
For 6 months, the famPLUS Eldercare employees can take the time to continuously adapt the care to the situation and needs - that's how long the consulting quota lasts, during which the family is accompanied. Help is provided much faster after the initial contact, and the Eldercare consultants don't pay attention to their own hours or quitting time.
We search until we can do something for the family. This is possible because we have flexible working hours and, depending on the season and region, it sometimes works within a few days." Only during the summer holidays or around the turn of the year, it sometimes takes a little longer due to the scarce short-term care places, reports Christiane Wissing.
Thanks to a lot of empathy, high motivation, and their experience, the Eldercare employees at famPLUS always manage to bring the family's situation back to calmer waters. And word of this spreads in the cooperating companies, as Anne-Kathrin Schulz notes: "We often hear from clients that they got the idea to contact us through a colleague's recommendation. People are satisfied with us. And that simply brings joy.
The two expert eldercare employees came to famPLUS through their practical semester in the summer of 2012 and have stayed because they see daily how gratefully their advisory services are received. "We see ourselves as a supporting and helping hand that walks the path together with those affected," summarizes Christiane Wissing about her work. And colleague Anne-Kathrin Schulz adds, "And we notice in practice that it is very important for someone to tell people that they should also take care of themselves. Help for relatives is commendable, but there are limits.
Exactly that's where the famPlus advisory service comes in, according to the two consultants. FamPLUS cooperates with many large companies that have recognized how important the compatibility of family and career is. If an employee notices that a domestic situation is becoming a burden for them, they contact famPLUS via the online platform or by phone, and that's where the care educators start to determine the exact needs. "We then schedule an appointment for an initial individual consultation over the phone, which lasts about 30 minutes," explains Christiane Wissing about the procedure.
Is it not difficult for people seeking help to reveal their troubles to strangers on the phone? Anne-Kathrin Schulz disagrees: "On the contrary - we are met with great trust from the beginning. The clients are very open. Almost always there is a huge sense of relief that someone is listening to their worries and taking up their cause." A big advantage of telephone counseling is that appointments can be arranged according to the clients' needs, both in time and place. Counseling sessions are also possible in the evenings or on weekends. "During the day, during working hours, hardly anyone has the necessary peace for these topics," the counselors know from experience.
First, Christiane Wissing and Anne-Kathrin Schulz take care of alleviating the immediate burden: "Often we first provide temporary solutions, for example, if the elderly mother has fallen and is in the hospital with a hip fracture and is about to be discharged. And then the question is how to proceed.
Following the principle of "helping people help themselves," the two eldercare consultants then develop a step-by-step plan. They also provide advice on assessing the need for care, forms, contacts with health insurance companies, rehabilitation, and nursing homes. "And what we are especially proud of," adds Anne-Kathrin Schulz, "is that we are completely independent. We have no interests in mind other than those of the clients." At famPLUS, there are no brokerage fees to specific institutions or organizations; the main focus is solely on the well-being of those seeking help.
For 6 months, the famPLUS Eldercare employees can take the time to continuously adapt the care to the situation and needs - that's how long the consulting quota lasts, during which the family is accompanied. Help is provided much faster after the initial contact, and the Eldercare consultants don't pay attention to their own hours or quitting time.
We search until we can do something for the family. This is possible because we have flexible working hours and, depending on the season and region, it sometimes works within a few days." Only during the summer holidays or around the turn of the year, it sometimes takes a little longer due to the scarce short-term care places, reports Christiane Wissing.
Thanks to a lot of empathy, high motivation, and their experience, the Eldercare employees at famPLUS always manage to bring the family's situation back to calmer waters. And word of this spreads in the cooperating companies, as Anne-Kathrin Schulz notes: "We often hear from clients that they got the idea to contact us through a colleague's recommendation. People are satisfied with us. And that simply brings joy.
