The Obere Nahe Hospice Service originated from a hospice initiative and worked purely on a voluntary basis from 1997 to September 2010. Since October 2010, it has been a regional group of the International Society for End-of-Life Care and Assisted Living (IGSL). "Since then, we have had our own premises, four full-time hospice specialists and specially qualified and trained volunteer hospice companions," explained Stephanie Hahn, one of the full-time palliative care specialists. In addition to end-of-life care, the hospice service also offers a comprehensive range of counseling services, a bereavement café for the bereaved, grief counseling for children and young people and last aid courses for adults and especially for children and young people. The services offered by the hospice service are free of charge. The health insurance companies pay a flat rate per patient for hospice support, regardless of the duration or intensity of the support. "Of course, this is nowhere near enough, so we rely on donations for this, and our other services are also financed by donations," added her colleague Marion Jung.
Representing Lord Mayor Frank Frühauf, who was ill at short notice, press spokesman Michael Brill presented the volunteer cards. He thanked the volunteer hospice companions for their important commitment, with which they accompany the affected people on the last part of their journey through life and try to maintain the best possible quality of life for them. "The volunteer card is a sign of recognition and appreciation for this commitment," says Brill, who is the contact person for the volunteer card at the city administration. The city of Idar-Oberstein has been participating in the Rhineland-Palatinate volunteer card since 2016. It is associated with a number of benefits that holders can take advantage of in all participating municipalities in the state. In Idar-Oberstein, this includes a 10 percent discount on tickets for the theater summer, a 20 percent discount on admission to the municipal swimming pools and a 50 percent discount on the purchase of the tourist guest and family card.
- Further information on the Rhineland-Palatinate volunteer card can be found on the municipal website www.idar-oberstein.de or the website www.wir-tun-was.de. 'Wir tun 'was' is the initiative of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate for volunteering and civic participation. The premises of the Obere Nahe Hospice Service are located at Hauptstraße 105 in Idar-Oberstein. Further information and contact details can be found on the website www.hospizdienst-obere-nahe.de. Anyone wishing to support the work of the hospice service can make a donation to its account at Kreissparkasse Birkenfeld, IBAN DE59 5625 0030 0001 0720 56, quoting the keyword Hospizarbeit.