Social - More last wishes were possible
Once again to the football stadium, to the sea or to a musical - the "Wishwagon" fulfills last wishes of terminally ill people. The Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB), which offers this service, could enable more dying people special experiences - the capacities would not be exhausted, reported the coordinators for Nordhessen and the Rhein-Main-Region to the German Press Agency.
The Wishwagon has been on the move in the Rhein-Main-Region since 2017. In 2019, a second one came to Nordhessen. Recently, the ASB was able to acquire two specially adapted escort vehicles thanks to a donation. In these, there is room for material and luggage, such as an electric caregiver wheelchair needed on site.
The goal is to "give people at the end of their lives unforgettable moments," said ASB Landesvorstandsmitglied Philipp Brake. "The Wishwagon trips are euphoric events. There is a lot of emotion there. A lot is laughed." With the escort vehicles, it will be easier to fulfill wishes in the future. "There are more possibilities and fewer obstacles."
From vacation to visit at Pop Concert
In the first half of 2024, the teams in the Rhein-Main-Region conducted ten trips and in Nordhessen six. They brought an artist to the opening of her last exhibition, enabled a visit to a Pop Concert and a football match. They organized a three-day vacation at the North Sea and a ride on a historical steam train in the Harz.
Not every wish is so spectacular: Sometimes someone just wants to see their own house one last time and stroke their cat, as one of the coordinators reported.
"We could fulfill more wishes," said Katrin Becker, one of the two coordinators for Nordhessen. "That's sad." One reason: "The requests come too late." In addition to the six trips this year, the employees organized approximately a dozen trips that were not carried out because the patient's condition had deteriorated too much or they or they had died between then.
It usually works to make the wishes possible within a week, said Levana Clasen, one of the two coordinators for Rhein-Main. Sometimes it even works on the very next day. She would wish that people or their relatives "would rather ask earlier than later." She understands that it is difficult for some to formulate their last wish, but...
Wishwagon Hessen
- The Workers' Samaritan Federation (ASB) recently acquired two specially adapted escort vehicles for the "Wishwagon Hessen" service in Frankfurt am Main, expanding their capabilities in the Rhine-Main-Region.
- The ASB's coordinators in North Hesse reported to the German Press Agency that more dying people could benefit from special experiences if the capacities of the "Wishwagon Hessen" were not exhausted.
- In an interview with the German Press Agency, Philipp Brake, ASB Landesvorstandsmitglied, highlighted the goal of the "Wishwagon Hessen" to provide unforgettable moments for terminally ill individuals in the Rhine-Main-Region and North Hesse.
- The "Wishwagon Hessen" has been providing experiences for terminally ill individuals in the Rhein-Main-Region since 2017 and expanded its operations to Nordhessen in 2019.
- Katrin Becker, one of the coordinators for Nordhessen, expressed sadness that the "Wishwagon Hessen" could fulfill more wishes if requests were made earlier, as some patients' conditions deteriorate rapidly or they pass away before the trips can be arranged.
