It wasn't just the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley five years ago that showed this: in large-scale operations, the focus is initially on rescue services, fire departments, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), and the German Armed Forces. But once the acute phase is over, the real long-term task begins: caring for, reassuring, accompanying, and nursing people. This is where nursing assistants come in – helpers who can take on nursing tasks and relieve the burden on professional nursing staff. They are an important part of civil protection and disaster control. After all, professional nursing staff quickly reach their capacity limits.

Training of nursing assistants

The Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Act provides for the promotion of training for such nursing assistants. In the long term, around one percent of the population is to be trained for this task. These are so-called independent helpers who do not belong to an aid organization. An example from the German Red Cross shows how this can work in practice. The specialist department II National Aid Society of the DRK regional association of Lower Saxony, together with certified nursing staff and practical instructors from the district associations of Wolfsburg and Verden, has already conducted three such courses.

Rapid deployment through nationwide central offices

The target group was volunteers who will now be qualified to support nursing staff in exceptional emergencies. Their details will be recorded in a nationwide central office so that they can be deployed in a targeted manner when needed. The course comprises 30 teaching hours and lasts three days. Around 20 trainers have now been qualified in the field of nursing support in the Lower Saxony district associations of the German Red Cross.

Various course modules

Independently of this, the DRK offers another course module entitled “Care support in the care service” for members of the DRK emergency services. It is run by staff who have completed three years of training in childcare, nursing, or geriatric care.

Unlike the standby members, participants from the volunteer service generally have no operational experience and are predominantly younger. “That's why, in addition to nursing topics, we also cover the basics of civil protection, disaster control, and emergency response,” explains Peggy Kempf, who is leading the first courses together with Jörg Suckert and his wife Alexandra from the German Red Cross in Verden. Jörg Suckert is a trained specialist nurse for anesthesia and intensive care, as well as a qualified geriatric nurse and paramedic. He is also involved with the DRK regional association in Lower Saxony as a trainer for care, medical services, and nursing support. His wife Alexandra brings experience as a nurse and caregiver. She also volunteers as a paramedic with the Red Cross.

“I think it's important to introduce young people to the topic of nursing care. In civil protection, during the pandemic for example, we have already seen how quickly professional nursing care can reach its limits,” Jörg Suckert points out. We have also seen how support from volunteer staff became necessary in both hospitals and nursing homes. This is also the case in special situations, evacuation operations, and similar circumstances."

Extensive insights into nursing care

The first course participants have already learned a great deal from the three dedicated teachers: how to communicate with people in need of care and what the role of nursing assistants entails. Elements of civil protection and disaster control were also discussed. The curriculum also covers personal hygiene for bedridden patients, assistance with eating, oral hygiene, and positioning techniques, as well as techniques for transferring patients from a stretcher to a bed and mobilization techniques. The program also includes self-awareness exercises. Participants can try out equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs for themselves or use darkening glasses to experience how perception changes for people with visual impairments.

The topic of bodily functions is also covered, with all the necessary aids such as various kidney dishes, urine containers, and bedpans made of disposable materials, as well as powder for thickening and preventing odors.

According to the organizers, the initial experiences with the learners have been extremely positive. "They participated enthusiastically, were very eager to learn, and were not afraid to try out the exercises on each other. This is because some topics can be intimidating if you have no previous experience of caring for people. Our course helped to overcome this fear."

The DRK is represented at INTERSCHUTZ in the rescue services section in Hall 26 (stands G39 and G29) and in the civil protection section in Hall 17 (stands E62 and F62).