Bürgerschaftliches Engagement und Altersdemenz: auf dem Weg zu einer neuen 'Pflegekultur'? ; eine vergleichende Analyse

Abstract

Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist zu zeigen, wie das Potenzial von Bürgerengagement im Bereich der niedrig schwelligen Betreuung von Demenzkranken besser ausgeschöpft und nachhaltig gestärkt werden kann. Der Schwerpunkt wird dabei auf die Betreuung Pflegebedürftiger durch Freiwillige gelegt, um folgende Aspekte der nachhaltigen Förderung des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements zu untersuchen: Zunächst werden die Rahmenbedingungen der Einrichtungen der deutschen Altenhilfe für die Stärkung der Freiwilligenarbeit beschrieben und der Rekrutierungserfolg bzw. -misserfolg von Freiwilligen thematisiert. Daran anschließend werden die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Mobilisierung bestimmter Freiwilligentypen für niedrig schwellige Betreuungsangebote in der Altenhilfe aufgezeigt. Es wird ferner eine Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements für die Einrichtung und die Freiwilligen, aber auch für die Gesellschaft durch Sozialkapitaleffekte vorgenommen. Schließlich werden ausgewählte Familien- und Erwerbsprofile sowie die Einstiegsmotivationen der Freiwilligen vorgestellt. Die Studie beruht auf teilstrukturierten Interviews, Dokumentenanalysen und teilnehmenden Beobachtungen in sieben Einrichtungen der Altenhilfe in vier deutschen Bundesländern. (ICI)

"In an award-winning research project, we took a close look at the care potential of voluntary workers for people suffering from dementia. We looked at seven institutions who took care of such people in four federal states of Germany, four of which were located in urban areas and three in rural areas. They were either in- or out-patient institutions, four of which had a confessional background. What we found out was only partly surprising although worthwhile drawing the right practical conclusions from. There is no question that voluntary work was usually rewarding for all the people and institutions involved, as both the care institutions and society benefit in a measurable way from it. However, the already existing state of emergency will likely get worse in the future, as the potential of volunteers can hardly be increased. Traditionally, these volunteers are recruited among housewives and pensioners of the middle class who look for a kind of substitute for family work or the job which is no longer carried out. Voluntary work offers public reward, social contacts, and at times a higher status in society. To be sure, voluntary engagement out of Christian love or humanitarian considerations did not really play an important role. In our inquiries we also found out that not only relatives and external volunteers but also professional carers of these institutions are active in voluntary work. There were clear indicators that new groups of voluntary workers, especially among those being still active in the labor market, can only be recruited if job, family, and voluntary engagement are compatible. In nearly all of the institutions in this analysis, (former) relatives of those suffering from dementia could be motivated to take on voluntary work. In rural areas and in confessionally dominated milieus the number and motivation of volunteers offering qualified care were significantly higher than in other locations. The point is that voluntary work enables care institutions to offer services which help to increase the life quality of people with dementia decisively. Without them, these services could not be offered in the first place and a new care culture would not be in sight. This is what should be brought to the attention of volunteers, care institutions, and society alike." (author's abstract)