"You determine the end"

KREIS GROSS-GERAU – The Hospice and Palliative Network in Groß-Gerau County is hosting a series of lectures to mark its 11th anniversary, starting on 3 September. The event, entitled ‘The end you decide’, will give participants the opportunity to learn more about the work and background of institutions in the areas of palliative care, hospice services and ethics counselling in the healthcare sector.

“We are very happy to have so many renowned speakers on the topic,” says Dr Marcus Geist of the Palliative Care Team Leuchtturm. “When people start their last phase of life, many questions arise for them and their loved ones. We want to provide security and answers and actively contribute these issues to the population", says Dr. Geist. Veronika Weizsäcker from Hospiz Mainspitze e.V. adds: "The event will enable us to inform patients, relatives, friends and acquaintances as well as other interested parties about current developments and to introduce them to possibilities of hospice and palliative care."

The venue of the event is the Kreisklinik Groß-Gerau as a member of the network. At the start of the lecture series on 3 September 2021 at 5 p.m., Prof. Alfred Simon from the Academy of Ethics and Medicine at the University of Göttingen will give a live broadcast on the social and political views of suicide aid. Afterwards, the participants will gain an insight into ethics consultations in the healthcare sector by Dr. Thomas Holstein, Head of the Ethics Committee of the Groß-Gerau District Hospital, and Monika Mayer, Administrative Director at Palliative Care Leuchtturm.

“Such events allow us to make the diverse themes of our work understandable and accessible. It gives those affected, relatives and us the opportunity to get in touch, educate, raise awareness and support", explains Gabriela Enderich as co-founder of Wegwarte – Ambulanter Hospiz- und Palliativdienst Ried e.V.
“In the pandemic, hospice services and palliative care teams have not received the attention they deserve and have had to cope with additional challenges, such as contact restrictions. The lecture series will allow us to refocus on the topic", says Prof. Erika Raab, Managing Director of the Groß-Gerau District Hospital.

For the second part of the event, on 10 September 2021, Dr Marcus Geist, Veronika Weizsäcker and Anne Lore Roth Loy (voluntary employee Hospiz Mainspitze) will discuss the possibilities of palliative and hospice care in detail. This is followed by a practice-oriented presentation on the design of a patient directive by Gabriela Enderich and Prof. Erika Raab. Veronika Weizsäcker rounds off the series of events with a reading from the book ‘Alien im Kopf: My life with a brain tumor’ by Karen Schäfer.

The free events on 3 and 10 September in the park of the Kreisklinik Groß-Gerau take place from 5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. The guests are welcomed by Walter Astheimer in his capacity as first district representative of the Groß-Gerau district and by Dr. Marcus Geist and Cornelia Sengling as spokesperson and spokesperson of the Hospice and Palliative network in the Groß-Gerau district.

Due to the corona protection measures, participants are only received after presentation of proof of a complete vaccination, recovery or with a negative corona test. The result of a rapid antigen test must not be older than 24 hours. The district clinic also offers testing opportunities on the spot. Pre-registration by telephone at the patient information office of the district clinic at 06152 986-0 is requested.

About the hospice and palliative care network:

The network includes Hospiz Mainspitze e.V., Hospizverein Mörfelden-Walldorf, Rüsselsheimer Hospizhilfe e.V., Wegwarte – Ambulanter Hospiz- und Palliativdienst Riedstadt e.V., Hospiz Lebensbrücke e.V. as well as the inpatient Hospiz Lebensbrücke in Flörsheim, the specialised outpatient palliative care team Leuchtturm, the Kreisklinik Groß-Gerau and other clinics, nursing homes, outpatient care services, counselling centres and organisations from the district. The aims of the network are to secure and improve hospice and palliative care in the district of Groß-Gerau and to promote professional exchange on questions and topics of hospice and palliative work.