Anthroposophic Nursing

Attentive care on an equal footing

Nursing plays a central role in the integrative anthroposophic approach of the Havelhöhe Community Hospital. It is the foundation for high-quality medical care geared to the  personality of each individual patient. For us, care means more than well-functioning procedures and help with daily basic care. A mindful inner attitude towards the patients, an alert eye and an open ear for physical and emotional needs are the basis of our work. Anthroposophic care means an encounter on an equal footing. At the Havelhöhe Community Hospital, we also integrate independent care therapies, such as wraps, compresses and rhythmic rubs, into the daily treatment processes and thus support them in a targeted manner. Through these special applications, we can further promote our patients' recovery process and improve their quality of life.

For a new culture in care

People who are ill and need care in hospital often feel insecure and have many worries and fears. Their concrete needs are correspondingly diverse: the desire for protection, letting go and being cared for goes hand in hand with the desire for autonomy and self-determination. In our work we try to combine these impulses and to do justice to the patients in their respective personalities and situations so that they can find their own path to recovery. If desired, we also take into account the social and family environment and act as contacts for relatives and caregivers. In order to be able to care for the patients as personally as possible, our staff work according to the concept of reference care and accompany 'their' patients throughout the day and the time of their stay. At the heart of anthroposophic care is not only the question of whether a carer carries out a particular treatment, but how they do it. For this, it is important to be present and to perceive the patient closely: what kind of person is facing me, what do they need right now and which care therapy can best help? We always tailor our treatments to the current needs of our patients, focusing on invigoration and activation or harmonisation and calming, as required. Accordingly, applications, for example a compress or wrap, can be selected, combined with essential oils and essences and coupled with specific caring touches. Depending on their focus, the treatments have an effect on the nervous and sensory systems, the rhythmic processes of the heart and lungs or the metabolic organs. Through accompanying conversations, counselling, encouragement and support, an intensive relationship can also develop that creates an atmosphere of balance and security and actively supports the patient's self-healing powers. Prerequisites for this are in-depth professional knowledge, regular further training, supervision in the team and, last but not least, sufficient time and peace for the treatments. For special requirements, for example in the intensive care unit, in the oncology centre and in palliative care, specially trained nursing experts and additionally qualified nursing staff are also available to our patients. In order to really live up to our high standards of care on an equal footing, nurses, doctors and therapists at the Havelhöhe Community Hospital work together on equal terms. In joint treatment conferences, they bring in their own perspectives and create the treatment concept that is right for each patient. This special approach requires corresponding structures that extend to the hospital's management bodies, in which all professional groups, including nurses, are also represented.