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Medical Center - University of Freiburg is setting up aftercare services for families with premature and seriously ill children / Donors wanted to support the initial phase

After a long stay in hospital, the transition home is a major challenge for many families with premature or seriously ill children. The Center for Pediatrics at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg has established a socio-medical aftercare service for them: Case managers, physicians and nursing experts are helping to organize everyday life and provide support in line with the nationally established Bunte Kreis concept. The service is initially being offered to premature babies and their parents; it will gradually be opened up to families with seriously ill children.

Helping people to help themselves

"After a long stay in hospital, parents are often very anxious about returning home," says case manager Marie-Louise Meyer from the Department of General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Neonatology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, who has already run a colorful circle at another clinic. "We support the family during the transition from the clinic with our specialist knowledge. A medically sound assessment often helps them to sleep more soundly again."

Under the motto "Helping people to help themselves", the aftercare team arranges physiotherapists, answers questions about medication, accompanies patients to appointments for examinations and helps with applications for aids and care levels. The focus is not only on nursing care for the sick child, but also on supporting parents and siblings. "The aim is for the family to know where they can get support themselves in the future after an initial phase," explains Meyer.

Advice around the clock

Little Mirjam Miracle was born 14 weeks prematurely in September 2021. Since then, she has been cared for at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. The little one still needs some oxygen. But she is growing well and recently finally reached the two-kilogram mark. "We are thrilled with how quickly she has gained weight," says Marie-Louise Meyer, praising the premature baby's progress. She has contacted the family at the hospital and is advising them on what can be organized for the time after her discharge. "When I can finally take my daughter home, it will be a real celebration for me," says Mirjam Miracle's mother. "It's good to know that I'll still have someone to turn to if I have any questions."

Supporters wanted

In the long term, the costs of the aftercare service will be covered by health insurance. During the start-up phase, however, the Freiburg residents are dependent on financial support. The Kiwanis Club Neuenburg e.V. is already financing part of the personnel costs of a case manager with donations raised at charity events. "Nevertheless, we are happy to receive further, urgently needed donations, for example to purchase a car for the home visits," says Prof. Dr. Ute Spiekerkötter, Medical Director of the Department of General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Neonatology.

Donation account:
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Sparkasse Freiburg Nördlicher Breisgau
IBAN: DE04680501010015000150
BIC: FRSPDE66
Purpose: 3411721304 Neonatological aftercare

Bunter Kreis model

The concept of social-medical aftercare was developed in Augsburg in the 1990s. Today, more than 90 facilities that work according to the Bunter Kreis aftercare model are members of the Bunter Kreis e.V. federal association. In interdisciplinary teams, physicians, paediatric nurses, social pedagogues, psychologists and pastoral workers help patients to help themselves after long stays in hospital and organize patient training and offers for siblings.

Caption: Case manager Marie-Louise Meyer (right) talks to Mirjam Miracle's mother about the time after her hospital stay.
Image source: Medical Center - University of Freiburg/Britt Schilling

Contact:
Marie-Louise Meyer
Case Manager
Department of General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Neonatology
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
marie-louise.meyer@uniklinik-freiburg.de