EU-Project | |
Frankfurt Seminar May 25th - 27th 2001 |
Psychological Support for people with HIV/AIDS
THE ASSOCIATION
„JUGENDBERATUNG / JUGENDHILFE e.V.
The association started its work in
the 1960s in the “Haus der Volksarbeit”, an educational establishment run
by the catholic church. Jugendberatung / Jugendhilfe e.V. (JJ) has differ-ent
services and aims at giving assistance to drug addicts and others who have
problems with drug abuse in the Rhein-Main area.
THE “FRANZISKUSHAUS”
The “Franziskushaus” was founded in
1992 by the Caritasverband of the diocese of Limburg as a hospice for terminal
AIDS-patients. It was to provide appropriate care, so that these pa-tients
could die in a humane way. The progress achieved in the development of
new drugs for treating HIV and AIDS contributed to improving the physical
condition of these patients and thus, on a regular basis, led to a prolongoation
of the duration of their stay in the institu-tion. At the same time there
was a lack of institutions providing care for people in an ad-vanced symptomatic
stage of the HIV-infection and who in addition to being HIV+ were ad-dicted
to drugs or had psychiatric problems. In order to be able to accept them
as patients in the “Franziskushaus” the approach was altered and emphasis
was given to: socio-therapy, adequate medical care and antiretroviral treatment.
This led to a new evaluation of the work performed in the “Franziskushaus”
and to determining different goals: before the focus was on assisting terminally
ill people and the provision of intensive care, now more emphasis is given
to meeting the psychosocial needs of the residents e.g. reintegration in
society, appro-priate leisure-time activities, talking about drug abuse,
indebtedness and payment of debts, as well as group sessions and indidual
conversations with the clients. These are now basic and important aspects
of the new approach and extended services provided. Due to the great commitment
of the team which consists of employees from various professions the in-stitution
can offer care tailored to the needs of the individual as well as socio-therapeutic
ser-vices in the same house.
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Praxis Psychosoziale Beratung |