What is called a maneuver element in the Bundeswehr is a blessing for the district office and for the residents of the retirement homes: Six soldiers from the Air Force officers' school in Bruck are doing a fairly non-military assignment at as many retirement and nursing homes in the district.
Fürstenfeldbruck -
Corporal Björn Schumann welcomes visitors in a camouflaged field suit with rolled up sleeves, blue gloves and an FFP2 mask right at the entrance to the retirement home in Jesenwang.
He kindly asks that you disinfect your hands, collect data, and take a fever.
“Do you have a corona test not older than 48 hours?” Schumann wants to know.
After two weeks of service in Jesenwang, he already knows most of the visitors and their test status anyway.
If the test is no longer up-to-date, he sends the visitor around to the other side of the building, where his comrade André Lemke is already waiting.
The soldier's green combat suit still shines through under the infection protection gown.
Rapid tests are available
A whole handful of sterile packed rapid tests are ready on the counter.
Lemke kindly explains to the visitor what awaits him now and how the result will then come about - if it is a new "customer".
“Prefer the right or left nostril?” He asks tidily.
"Please take a seat on the chair and bend your head back".
He carefully pushes the stick up to the mark in his nose, twisted it once - done.
"Medical staff trained me in the Fürstenfeldbruck district hospital so that I can then take the swabs," reports the Moorenweiser.
He usually serves in the training and support group at the officers' school.
There he accompanies the officer candidates on the field service.
As part of administrative assistance
Like Schumann, he volunteered for administrative assistance four months ago.
Initially, Lemke was employed on the telephone to track contacts in the district office.
“It's nicer here in Jesenwang because we deal directly with people,” the two soldiers report in unison.
The Jesenwang home manager Thorsten Kopplin is also very happy to have the soldiers in the house until the end of this week.
“With their support, we can offer the relatives six instead of the previous three visiting days a week.” Kopplin reacted to a corresponding offer of administrative assistance from the District Office and hopes that the support of the soldiers can be extended beyond the three weeks.
Visitor management
The visitors to the Jesenwang senior citizens' home are now waiting for their results in a cordoned-off area at the end of the test course.
After 15 minutes, Schumann comes and confirms that the test was negative and nothing stands in the way of a visit to the retirement home.
In military life, the soldier supports the management of the officers' casino in the Bruck air base.
Visitor management, on the other hand, is what he does here in Jesenwang - which otherwise Service Manager Christine Hartmann and her team would have to take care of.
"The young men are highly motivated, friendly and, if necessary, determined," says Christine Hartmann happily.
Like all of her colleagues, the service manager has herself tested by André Lemke three times a week.
The corporal corporal carries out 50 to 60 free smears daily.
The possible number of afternoon visits is also based on this capacity, however, due to the corona, a maximum of one visitor per room and day.
The Jesenwang retirement home is not the only facility that currently supports the officers' school.
Soldiers also help in the Curanum Germering, in the Larentiushaus Olching, in the Haus Elisabeth in Puchheim, the Evangelical Care Center in Eichenau and St. Anton in Gröbenzell.
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