Barn instead of circle of chairs: Nursing flat share on the farm

New everyday life in old age – that’s possible on a farm in the Westerwald. Elderly people in need of care live here and lots of animals that need to be taken care of.

Visit to the farm in Marienrachdorf: Shortly after 9 a.m. the alpacas are allowed out of the stable. Farmer Guido Pusch, who runs the care farm, puts the reins in the hands of the residents. Then the caravan of seniors moves through the village to the pasture.

For those in need of care, contact with the animals is part of everyday life and still special: “When the little guy looks you in the eye – something just goes across,” describes the 85-year-old Horst Hof. While the alpacas graze in the pasture, he and the others take a break on a bench in the morning sun. That’s how life is in the country.

No petting zoo

22 people with care needs live on the farm in the Westerwald. Then there are the animals: in addition to the alpacas, there are pigs, cattle, geese, cats, chickens and many more. Farmer Pusch emphasizes that the farm is not a petting zoo, but a real farm: “Everyone helps to ensure that the barn is in order, that feed is prepared. Of course, everyone has different skills and interests,” says Pusch.

From grandmother’s wish to the care concept

It all started 15 years ago, as Pusch says, when his grandmother needed care. “She was born on the farm and wanted to die on the farm.” Pusch had the building converted for seniors – this aroused the interest of other people in need of care. The first residents moved in twelve years ago. In the meantime, the concept of the seniors’ flat share on the farm has proven itself: “We simply notice here that people still need a task even in the last phase of life,” says Pusch.

Tasks also include collecting eggs in the chicken coop. Resident Angela Rath fetched more than 70 pieces that day. She is supported by Pusch’s daughter Samira. She is 17 years old and is being trained as a nursing specialist by the nursing service, which specializes in the farm concept. Meanwhile, she has already gained practical experience in a retirement home. But she doesn’t want to work there: “It’s just different here,” she says while sorting eggs. “The contact with the animals just makes you happy.”

Luck is such a thing, says resident Angela Rath as she puts an egg in a carton. It’s also about being able to do something with your hands. This is particularly important for her after cancer: “I lost a lot of dexterity there,” says Rath. Collecting eggs: also a kind of rehabilitation measure.

community and self-determination

Around 12 o’clock there is a common lunch on the farm. The community is a central part of the farm concept, says Guido Pusch. But also self-determination. All residents have their own rooms to which they can withdraw.

Horst Hof shares a two-room apartment with his wife. Both come from near Darmstadt, around 100 kilometers away. Their house has gradually become too big for them, especially since his wife’s dementia, he says. They have been at home here in the country for half a year now. “That’s actually what we always wanted.” Even though they are city dwellers. They have traveled a lot throughout their lives, especially on motorbikes, he says. The Westerwald is now the final destination of their journey. They want to stay here as long as possible. “I don’t have to be 100 years old – but soon,” says Hof and laughs.

Own honey

In the afternoon there is another premiere on the care farm: 54 bee colonies have been part of the farm community for a few days, and now there is their first honey. Horst Hof scrapes off the wax cover on the combs with farmer Pusch. The so-called frames with the honeycomb are then placed in a centrifuge until the honey flows. What is produced on the farm is used by the residents themselves. What is left is marketed regionally – in the future this will also include the honey, which the in-house apiary will produce.

The concept of care with rural life is met with great interest, reports Pusch: More than 800 people visit the farm every year – from school classes to a delegation of health professionals from Japan. But other farmers are also interested in his idea. “That’s also extremely important,” says Pusch. “The need is so great and in many places the farms are dying out.”

start-up financing he wishes

With the income from the care places and agriculture, the concept is self-sustaining. But the high investment costs are difficult for farmers to cope with: they went into the millions, mainly because of expensive conversion work. “I would like start-up funding from politicians,” says Pusch. Even if there are now a few care farms in other federal states: “There have to be more farms,” ​​says Pusch. In any case, demand is likely to increase in a society that is getting older all the time.