Kostelka: Rather Nursering at home than in hospital?

Rather Nursering at home than in hospital?

ORF-Series "Bürgeranwalt" (“Advocate for People”) – Broadcast of March 15th, 2008

In Austria a several thousand people suffer from muscle diseases. A 42 year old women addressed the Ombudsman and explained that she suffered from the rare neurological disease ALS (Amyotrophe Lateral Sklerosis). Her first troubles began during her second pregnancy. They led to paralysis at her legs and arms. Being mother of two daughters (11 and 3 ½ years) she only can move by generating the joystick of her wheel chair. After a beginning paralysis of the diaphragma and problems with swol-lowing in May 2007 lodging in the hospital of Eisenerz has become inevitable.

Due to the excellent medical and nursering treatment today Ms. G.-F. is able to breath independently when sitting, but has to be connected with the respiration machine when laying. Her biggest desire however would be to live at home with her family especially also in order to take part in the lives of her two daughters. Mentally fit, she can give a lot to her family, the remaining time is valuable and being seperated from her husband and her children has already become painful. Members of the family are directly taught by the medical staff which finally enables them to recognize and react on the specific needs of a sick person. Ms. G.-Fs. husband has been taught successfully these methods and also already started to reconstruct the family´s home adequately to the special needs of Ms. G.-F.. The Eisenerz hospital so far had no objections to the nursering of Ms. G.-F. by her husband at home. So far this solution could not be reached because of lacking financial support by the Styrian Regional Governement, which would be needed for the expensive nursering, which only could be handled by Ms. G.-F.s husband with the assistance of specially educated nurses.

The monthly costs of accomodation and treatment in the hospital of Eisenerz amount to roughly € 7.400,-- (€ 246,-daily) and have been taken over by the Styrian Regional Governement. There has been no support so far in order to close the financial gap.

To decide where to live and how to cope with all the problems of a severely disabled person is first of all a reasonable patient´s and the family´s business. So far there is no legal claim for the taking over of the costs for the 24 hours nursering at home. During the ORF broadcast Ombudsman Mr. Kostelka stressed out that the nursering costs of Ms. G.-F. at home would not be higher than the costs for the treatment and the accomodation in the hospital of Eisenerz. According to the opinion of medical experts quality of life for patients who have to be respirated artificially would even re-markably improve if treated at home.

Unfortunately the Regional Nursering Rules do not give persons concerned the choice between financially and personally supported nursering at home and nursering in the hospital. According to Ombudsman Kostelka´s opinion it can not be legally justified that nursering in the hospital is financially supported whereas treatment and nursering at home is not financed by the public authorities, although the family has set all necessary measures for such a nursering. Mr. Kostelka also stressed out that it had been up to the Regional Government of Styria to present a financial package deal consisting of different subsidies from the social budget in order to guarantee the feasibility of Ms. G.-Fs. nursering at home.

Fortunately the responsible Representative for Social Affairs of Styria already promised to take first steps towards the implementation of the package deal proposed by Dr. Kostelka. All parties concerned have been called upon by the Representative to present their proposals. Further details and prerequisites of a possible financial support for nursering at home will be cleared in close future.