Wonderful neighborhood aid: This is how our senior network remains strong!

Wonderful neighborhood aid: This is how our senior network remains strong!

neighborhood aid is a valuable resource that enables older people to live independently even in old age. The possibilities range from driving services to support in the household and they help to reduce loneliness. This form of social support has established itself in 2003 since the first initiatives in the Miltenberg district and is still very popular.

For a current meeting of the senior network in the district, over 40 participants gathered, including many volunteers, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of neighborhood aids together with experts. Organized by Christina Jung, the Altenhilfe Planning department, the meeting aimed at emphasizing the importance of neighborhood help for the municipalities and discussing how these offers can be made even more attractive.

Current challenges in neighborhood help

Angelika Spalek from the Caritas Association for the district of Miltenberg reported on the current challenges, in particular the generation change within the coordinator teams. There is a lack of offspring to continue the valuable work. At the same time, it is important to understand the needs of the community. "We need to know what people really need," emphasized Spalek. Faring services often prove to be particularly in demand, followed by help in the household, and many want a stronger community.

Doris Rudolf from the coordination site living in old age added that well -connected neighborhood aids are particularly successful. These networks must be evaluated regularly to ensure that they offer both helpers and those seeking help. A clear carrier can help to clarify administrative hurdles such as insurance questions for volunteers. In the Miltenberg district, many of these initiatives are a cooperation between churches and municipalities, which makes it easier to organize and apply for funding.

The funding could be requested, for example, within the framework of the guideline "Life in old age", which strongly supports many initiatives. Rudolf emphasized how important it is to have clear communication about the services offered, so that volunteers know exactly what is expected of them and how much time they can invest.

In most municipalities in the district, neighborhood aids already exist, and there are even considerations to establish new initiatives. These start -ups often take place in cooperation with several municipalities, which bundles the resources and the implementation designs more effectively. The cooperation in the southern Spessart is mentioned here as an example, where the SELA funding was successfully used.

The factual situation shows that there are diverse options for providing support offers and information resources for both existing and planned projects. In addition to the municipal caritas, the department of civic engagement and the department of Altenhilfe planning at the Miltenberg district office as well as advice centers for seniors and caring relatives are also available. These institutions not only offer advice, but also organize regular exchange meetings to promote the dialogue between the active helpers and those who need support.

For people who want to get involved in neighborhood aid, as well as for seniors who need help, there is the opportunity to find the relevant contact details of the community caritas and the urban advice centers in the online senior guide. Interested parties can find out more about commitment options there and inquire.

In the large meeting room of the Miltenberg district office, full-time and volunteers from the senior citizens work in the district on the subject of neighborhood aids. Photo: Winfried Zang