Patients
and visitors

You can talk to us for advice on support options relating to the illness and your stay in hospital. We will accompany you and your family along the way and will be happy to put you in touch with competent contacts.

With the consent of the doctor treating you, you can apply for a rehabilitation measure (e.g. follow-up rehabilitation or geriatric rehabilitation) in connection with your hospital stay.

We ensure that you or your relatives initiate all the necessary measures for transitional or follow-up care and that you receive the relevant information and decision-making support.

This may, for example, involve care home matters (advice on nursing homes, day care, short-term care, assisted living, etc.) and the relevant applications or the decision to go into a hospice.

We will advise you if you do not have a job or training place due to your illness or if you are at risk of losing your job. We will discuss with you what support options are available to you and put you in touch with funding agencies and advice centers.

We advise you on social law matters such as benefits under health insurance, pension insurance, long-term care insurance, severely disabled persons and social assistance legislation and provide assistance with applications.

This may involve, for example, sickness benefit or other wage replacement benefits, reduced earning capacity pension, care allowance, unemployment benefit or applying for a severely disabled person's pass.

If no precautions have been taken and important medical decisions need to be made, we will initiate legal urgent care together with the doctors on the wards.

We are also there for you when it comes to advice and applying for other assistance, such as caring for children or family members in need of help during and immediately after hospitalization.

There is a wide range of support services available to ensure that people can remain at home for as long as possible. Outpatient care services are a mainstay.

• Mobile meal service, e.g. meals on wheels
• Home emergency call systems
• Household service
• Mobile social services (e.g. DRK or KBF transport services)
• Discussion groups for family caregivers
• Self-help groups
• Care courses and training for relatives
• Voluntary care and support services, e.g. local hospice group
• Social psychiatric service
• Care support center

Both are long-term care insurance benefits, which means that the patient must have at least care level 2.

Day care is a partial inpatient care service, i.e. during the day, those in need of care are cared for in an inpatient facility (e.g. care home).

If you need aids at home after your hospital stay, such as a wheelchair, care bed, etc., we will advise you on these aids and how to finance them. The medical certificate for this can be issued during your stay in hospital so that the necessary aids are available on discharge.

No. Counseling is free of charge for patients and their relatives as part of discharge management.

The social counseling and care transition staff come to the patient's room for a discussion. Alternatively, a sitting area or a room on the nursing ward can be chosen.

General socio-legal information can also be sent by letter.

The department reports to the Nursing Directorate.

The social counseling and care transition department acts as a mediator and advisor. The jointly discussed needs and discharge planning should be understood as help to ensure the best possible further care after the inpatient stay