2024-05-13 12:13:45
The “Green Angels” at Nordwest-Hospital Sanderbusch know how important human closeness is in difficult times. This is what the group of volunteers is all about.
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Sanderbusch – Anyone who comes to the hospital unexpectedly has a lot of questions running through their minds. Regardless of whether it is a serious bone fracture or a diagnosis is made that reveals that from now on a chronic illness will accompany life with no hope of a cure or whether the examinations may show a life-threatening illness – those affected always find themselves in a situation that is foreign to them and therefore leads to insecurity and fears. It’s good if there’s someone there who has time. Someone who sits with you in peace. And it’s often very good if you didn’t know each other before – the main thing is that the chemistry is right at the moment you get to know each other.
Looking for more helpers
The volunteer “Green Angels” come from all professional sectors; there are educators, administrators and nursing staff. So far there are only people in the team who have already completed their professional career. This may be due to the fact that the working hours are during the day, but the extent depends entirely on how much time everyone can and wants to invest. “Anyone who wants to support us should make time for it on a regular basis,” says Pastor Behrens, who would like to expand the team. Entry always takes place in tandem, which means that someone who is starting out initially accompanies someone who has been with them for a long time. It should be clear to everyone that absolute confidentiality is the top priority.
If you are interested in supporting the team, please call 04422/801920 or send an email to [email protected]
The identifying mark
Such conversation partners are the “Green Angels” at the Nordwest-Hospital Sanderbusch. But they don’t actually see themselves as messengers from heaven. They are called that because they wear a green scarf as a symbol of identification and a number of patients have been happy to have one of these volunteers at their side in the entire chaos of the large hospital operation. “You are an angel” or “Heaven sent you”, many patients have put it this way or something similar.
Nevertheless, they prefer to call themselves “pilots” or “visit service employees”. “I like to avoid the word angel because I don’t know exactly what to expect during each individual visit. And if someone has just received a terrible diagnosis, the term angel could trigger very confusing connections. I want to avoid that,” says Peter Klusmann (67 years old), who has been part of the team around hospital chaplain Heiko Behrens for almost two years. In addition, there are many patients who do not want to come into contact with church at all, adds Tammo Schlieker (48), who trained as an emergency pastor and has been working here for around five years.
Pastor Heiko Behrens also ensures that stressful situations are dealt with. Image: Annette Kellin
What exactly do the “Green Angels” do? You simply have time for the patients. They go for a walk with them, drink coffee with them or sit with them in bed and “talk about God and the world”. They work across denominations. “Several of the volunteers can talk about the church and faith if they wish, but it doesn’t have to be that way. And some of our employees don’t belong to any denomination themselves,” explains Pastor Behrens.
Mariechen Janssen-Meyer (79), who herself once worked in hospital administration, developed the “Green Angels” concept with Pastor Ulrike Fendler more than 15 years ago. “Many people here in the house come from East Frisia. I can mess with them. “The patients feel a little more at home and we talk about everything, it doesn’t necessarily have to have anything to do with the illness,” she says.
Dispel loneliness
Gudrun Köhler (68) came to Sande from Berlin four years ago, looked for new contacts and found, among other things, the “Engel Group”. “Sometimes you sit with someone for more than an hour because loneliness is a big issue. For many, you can immediately sense how grateful they are. Some time ago I visited a man who, at the end, said in tears that no one had ever taken so much time for him before. Experiences that even the volunteers cannot simply “put away”. Hospital chaplain Heiko Behrens is available for this and everyone agrees that talking to colleagues also helps. “It’s important to me that no one takes anything heavy home with them,” says Behrens, who also steps in when a volunteer feels overwhelmed. “In most cases, you leave here very satisfied. I walk out of the room and the patient smiles – then I’m very happy,” says Frieda Berger (79).
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