Katja Wilken, life support worker in Berlin
Berlin, April 2nd, 2024. Senior Citizens’ Life Support is already represented several times in the federal state of Berlin. Nevertheless, much more support is needed to get closer to the big common goal: to enable older people to live a dignified and self-determined life at home. Ms. Katja Wilken is now also contributing as a new life helper. She is now available to seniors as an everyday helper.
Why pre-care assistance from Senior Citizens’ Life Support is so important
Most people have no idea what the term “pre-care assistance” means, even though a lot of older people in Germany depend on it: especially when there is no need for care or only a small one, it is often relatives or neighbors who step in with small everyday help. They bring shopping to seniors, take them for a walk or accompany them to the doctor.
But not all seniors have such help in their immediate vicinity. In addition, many of them do not want to be a “burden” to other people. The result: Many older people withdraw more and more, only do the bare minimum and become increasingly lonely.
The married couple Carola and Benjamin Braun recognized this important gap in supply more than ten years ago. They founded Senior Citizens’ Life Support to support older people in everyday life. The big concern was to offer all help from a single source. Seniors should not have to get used to many different service providers, but should be able to receive household help, shopping service, doctor’s assistance, transportation and leisure activities from the same trusted and valued person.
This everyday help is provided by life helpers
The collaboration with the life helpers often begins with the desire for support in the household. When doing laundry or carrying heavy shopping, many older people first notice that they need help. However, the tasks of life helpers go far beyond household help.
Rather, it is the task of the life helpers to keep an eye on the entire everyday life of “their” seniors: Are there perhaps important appointments that need to be organized? Is it important to have someone accompany you outside the home, for example when visiting the doctor? And what about leisure activities?
Every person is different and the life assistants have the task of adapting to each individual senior. You become a contact person for all matters of daily life – often also for worried relatives, who are greatly relieved by the work of Senior Citizens’ Life Support. Often it doesn’t remain a purely business relationship, but a friendship develops between the life helper and the senior citizen, which sometimes lasts until the end of their lives. To make sure that the chemistry is right, seniors can get to know their potential life helper free of charge in advance.
Ms. Katja Wilken uses her talent as a life helper
After graduating from school, Ms. Katja Wilken initially completed training in a law firm. She then worked in the profession she learned for more than ten years. However, her skills in dealing with people and her social streak fell short of her actual tasks. Reason enough for the Berlin native from Leipzig to reorient herself professionally.
After a long period of searching, Ms. Wilken finally discovered the field of senior care. She had already gained her first experiences in this area in her own family environment. This made it easy for her to get started and she quickly realized that she could put her social skills and empathy to good use in this work. Eventually her path led her to Senior Citizens’ Life Support, where she trained as a life helper. With her, Senior Citizens’ Life Support has gained a committed life helper who, above all, wants to give her seniors back a piece of their quality of life.
Ms. Katja Wilken is married and has lived in Berlin with her husband and their dog for a long time.
Salanje GmbH – the company behind Senior Citizens’ Life Support
The sponsor of the senior living assistance is Salanje GmbH, also founded by the Braun couple. Various offers of help for seniors all over Germany come together under this roof, including Kapuna Senior Aid e. V..
The senior life assistants work as franchisees. This means they work independently and independently at their respective place of residence. This means short distances for both life helpers and seniors and therefore more time for each individual. Senior Life Support is managed from the headquarters in Berlin. Here, a family team looks after both the seniors and the life helpers.
More than 250 people have already decided to dedicate their lives to older people and become life helpers. But the need for help in Germany is great. Senior Citizens’ Life Support is still looking for interested people who can imagine working with senior citizens in an appreciative and calm manner. Life helpers are still being sought at all locations in Germany. Interested parties can contact the Berlin headquarters for further information.
Contact
Katja Wilken
Flämingstrasse 67
12689 Berlin
Arrange contact via:
Senior living assistance
Salanje GmbH
Ahrweilerstr. 29
D-14197 Berlin
Press contact:
Benjamin Brown
T: 030-83221100
Senior Life Support offers everyday support for seniors. A life helper supports you in everyday life, with shopping, accompanies you to the doctor and also organizes your free time with the seniors. A car is also always available.
Contact
Senior living assistance
Benjamin Brown
Ahrweilerstr. 29
14197 Berlin
0800/83221100