So far, around 80 people a year spend their twilight years in the Sankt Barbara Hospice. There are 16 inpatient beds available to them at two locations in Linz and Ried, where they receive medical and nursing care until death. This offer is currently being expanded and is expected to include a good 40 beds by 2027. Six day hospice places will be created at each of the existing locations this year, offering relief during the day for those who can spend the night in their usual surroundings. This not only makes everyday life easier for those affected, but also for those caring for them. This means that the expansion is not only a spatial development, but also a “further development in terms of content,” as Walter Aichinger, President of the Upper Austrian Red Cross, described it at today’s press conference. The Red Cross has been working in end-of-life care in the form of mobile teams for 20 years. This gave rise to the idea for a stationary hospice in 2014, which was realized by founding the Sankt Barbara Hospiz GmbH at the two locations mentioned – Linz and Ried.
The next step will be to open another inpatient hospice in Vöcklabruck next year, which will also provide places for day guests. In order to further expand the nationwide supply, locations are planned in Wels and Steyr. These are scheduled to be completed by 2027. When it comes to palliative and hospice care, the focus is not only on medical and nursing care: “We enable those who can no longer be cared for at home to have a soothing atmosphere and a good quality of life in the final phase of their lives. They not only receive professional care and support “, but also human care. We as a religious community see this as our mission: to be there for people in difficult life situations,” said Sister Barbara Lehner, Superior General and Managing Director of the Elisabethinen Linz-Vienna.
Expansion and better collaboration
The comprehensive expansion is possible, among other things, because the hospice company was supplemented by three additional providers from the health and social services, who can provide spatial and personnel resources inside and outside the central area. Since February 12, 2024, the Elisabethinen Linz-Vienna, the Vinzenz Group, the Upper Austrian Red Cross and the Brothers of Mercy Linz have been complemented by the Upper Austrian Health Holding, the Franciscan Sisters of Vöcklabruck and the Cross Sisters of Europe Central. This comprehensive collaboration makes it possible to care for patients without “institutional boundaries,” said Deputy Governor and State Health Councilor Christine Haberlander.
According to Rudolf Wagner, managing director of Sankt Barbara Hospiz GmbH, people spend an average of six to seven weeks in the hospice. “Some only stay for a few days, others stay for several months until their death. During this time we want to give them a feeling of home and ensure the best possible care.” This is achieved through specially trained nursing staff and professional collaboration with doctors from various hospitals throughout Upper Austria. “In medicine, the focus is usually on healing, but it is not defined by that alone. When the possibilities have been exhausted, then palliative medicine, which provides relief, as well as comprehensive support until death, are of equal importance,” says Franz Harnoncourt, Chairman of the Management Board of the Upper Austrian Health Holding.
Author
Lena Gattringer
Editor Life
Lena Gattringer
