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Ten years of community nurse plus: This is how Alzey's seniors continue to be helped!
The Community Nurse Plus in Alzey-Worms supports seniors who do not need care in order to promote independent living.
Ten years of community nurse plus: This is how Alzey's seniors continue to be helped!
In the last ten years, the Community Nurse Plus concept has gained a foothold in Rhineland-Palatinate and is enjoying great popularity. This initiative is aimed specifically at older people without a level of care, with the clear aim of supporting them in their everyday lives and helping them to stay in familiar surroundings for as long as possible. Heike Lörcher-Denne, a 59-year-old community nurse plus who started in this role two years ago, has made it her mission to enrich the lives of older people through individual advice and support.
The Becks, Martina (85) and Bernhard (86), are just two of many seniors who benefit from this service. A year ago they received a letter from Lörcher-Denne and soon arranged to meet her. A personal conversation covered important topics such as living wills and health care power of attorney. Upon request, the community nurse created an emergency folder for the couple, which contained all basic documents and was kept in a fixed location at home. This ensures that action can be taken quickly in an emergency.
Help and support in old age
The role of the community nurse plus is far-reaching. Lörcher-Denne regularly checks the seniors' health, ensures that they are well looked after and organizes additional help if necessary. This also includes setting up an exercise group to counteract loneliness in old age. Together with around 20 seniors, she meets weekly to go for a walk at the small reservoir in Alzey. These meetings not only serve the movement, but also to publicize its work.
The initiative is supported by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate with 3.8 million euros annually for around 90 community nurses plus. The Alzey-Worms district was involved in the model project from the beginning, and three community sisters are now active there. In order to reduce social isolation, social senior meetings and a variety of exercise opportunities are also part of the program. A highlight are events and courses that are initiated by the community sisters in the regions and promote cooperation among the older generation.
Create personal contacts
Lörcher-Denne plans to meet people at the Alzey cemetery soon to offer conversations with those visiting their deceased. She not only wants to address the topic of grief, but also create a space for exchange. The idea is to support people in this emotional phase and give them a listening ear.
Overall, the Community Nurse Plus model shows that targeted and individual help can not only make older people's lives more beautiful, but also enhance them. Rhineland-Palatinate remains the only federal state that offers this special service for its older citizens and thus plays a pioneering role.