That she has "knots in her head, Erika Lehmann has noticed this herself. Knots in the head, these are memory gaps, these are names that the old lady simply does not want to remember anymore. The knots in the head are a budding dementia disease.
That’s why Erika Lehmann and two other women attend the "Fit am Freitag" (Fit Friday) group in the Mainleuser multi-generation house (MGH). "Fit on Friday, This is a low-threshold offer for people with dementia. Who are limited in their everyday skills and depend on the care of others.
See something different
The round is led by Helmut Ebert, who is an occupational therapist, non-medical practitioner and psychotherapist, who was a home manager in geriatric care for more than 20 years. "It is important for people to get out of their homes and see something different." Erika Lehmann immediately confirms: "Who else can I talk to when I’m alone?? The television, the radio or the cat."
Mentally and physically relaxed
Talking is also the main component of the round, which Helmut Ebert says is deliberately not structured like a therapy session. The daily events are integrated into the discussions, as are questions about holidays, birthdays and current events. "Then it goes over into movement exercises, so that the participants leave mentally and physically relaxed after two hours.", describes the 56-year-old the group’s goal.
There is also a young woman in the group: Theresa Mayer from Mainroth. She is a student in the 7. The first semester at the Coburg University of Applied Sciences in the field of Social Work. She is currently writing her bachelor’s thesis on "Social isolation and loneliness-intervention possibilities of social work". The multigenerational house is the ideal opportunity for them to experience work with the elderly in practice. "It’s good to get a taste of what it’s like here." Your impression: I admire how the director of the multigenerational house manages to do this with a half-day position."
Places still available
This refers to Ingrid Wagner. "You don’t always have to build old people’s homes; you can do a lot in the area of prevention, she notes, pointing out that up to ten people in the group "Fit on Friday" were present can participate and therefore there are still places available. The continued existence of the multigenerational house in Mainleus is, according to them, secured until the end of 2014.