Flowers for the boss: Bavaria's Minister of Social Affairs Ulrike Scharf (right) presents Sabine Lorenz with a bouquet. © .sh
A social therapy residential community for people with mental illnesses celebrates its 20th anniversary. The Bavarian Minister of Social Affairs also stopped by.
Geretsried – The association is her – now adult – "child": Sabine Lorenz (60) has been committed to the establishment of a social therapeutic residential community (WG) for people with mental illnesses on Blumenstraße from the very beginning. She has gradually expanded the group and mastered difficult times with it. The Executive Chairwoman of the Association was rightly the focus of attention on Wednesday at the 20th anniversary of the Friends of the Mentally Handicapped Association. In addition to the member of the state parliament Martin Bachhuber, district councillor Thomas Schwarzenberger, district administrator Josef Niedermaier and Geretsried's third mayor Gerhard Meinl, even Bavaria's Minister of Social Affairs Ulrike Scharf paid the honour of her visit to the relatively young association.
Prime example of successful inclusion of the mentally ill – visit by Bavarian Minister of Social Affairs
19 women and men with a mental illness form a shared apartment on Blumenstraße. They all have a single room and share kitchen and common areas. Seven employees of the association look after the group on an outpatient basis. The nurses, social pedagogues and housekeeping specialists support the people with disabilities in everyday life. They help them deal with money, accompany them when they go to the authorities and visit the doctor, offer employment and leisure activities and help them find a job.
In the comfortably furnished, three-storey house with garden, chickens, dog, cat and vegetable patches, the residents can lead a life of independence accompanied by specialist staff. The aim of the association is to stabilize people's state of health in order to avoid home or hospital stays as far as possible.
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Minister of State Ulrike Scharf said in her speech that it was a matter close to her heart to visit facilities such as the Geretsrieder WG in person. It is important that people with disabilities can participate in social life everywhere. "You, dear Sabine, make a significant contribution to the success of inclusion," says Scharf. The chairwoman of the association, Dr. Helgard van Hüllen, joined in the praise: Sabine Lorenz and her team had so far "circumnavigated all the cliffs with unshakable optimism". Lorenz had mentioned that the Corona pandemic had been a very difficult phase. People with a mental disability often do not understand the meaning of limitations.
Pride and appreciation for the project flat share in Geretsried: The aim is integration into the labour market
District Administrator Josef Niedermaier expressed his pride and appreciation with a coat of arms of the district, which the residential community can hang on the wall. Martin Bachhuber, member of the CSU state parliament, emphasized that the "Bavaria barrier-free" program is very close to the heart of the state government and the state parliament. Unfortunately, mentally ill people are still stigmatized in some cases. But society – also thanks to such associations as the Geretsrieder – is "already more sensitive to the topic". Currently, the state parliament is working on a simple language that is understandable for everyone. Other goals include the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market, more participation in leisure activities and more residential groups.
Thomas Schwarzenberger, mayor of Krün, incumbent district councillor and renewed CSU direct candidate for the constituency of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen/Garmisch-Partenkirchen Süd, said that the cooperation between the friends of the mentally handicapped and the district of Upper Bavaria as a sponsor was "always constructive and appreciative". The facility on Blumenstraße is entirely in line with the Second Bavarian Psychiatric Plan with its principles of "outpatient before inpatient" and the best possible integration into the city or municipality. As a former psychiatric nurse, Sabine Lorenz knows her way around like no other. The fact that, in contrast to many other health care facilities, she and her deputy Andrea Busch-Bender always find enough specialists is also due to the association's exemplary, family-friendly part-time model.
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Lorenz himself had started the work with two small children. Her now grown-up daughter Sabrina helped her on the anniversary day. With coffee, cake, cocktails and music by solo entertainer Hans Ketelhut, residents, employees and guests of honour celebrated it together - in the spirit of inclusion. TANJA LÜHR
By the way: Everything from the region can also be found in our regular Wolfratshausen-Geretsried newsletter.