{"id":75905,"date":"2024-02-22T09:33:54","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T07:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/?post_type=magazin&p=75905"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:21:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T16:21:30","slug":"a-home-for-the-last-days","status":"publish","type":"magazin","link":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/silence\/a-home-for-the-last-days\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We want to give dying a place of the greatest possible security\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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\r\n \u2018We want to give dying a place of the greatest possible security\u2019 <\/h2>\r\n\r\n
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At Hospiz Luise in Hannover, carers accompany people on their final journey \u2013 and turn fear into a sense of safety.
\nBy Tim Kirchhof<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n

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The patient was only 28 when she came here to die. <\/strong>\u2018She wore a white dress, had black hair and beautiful skin,\u2019 her carer remembers. \u2018She wanted to get married next year.\u2019 Her fianc\u00e9 slept at her side. She died on New Year\u2019s Eve. The carer still remembers the young woman years later. At Hospiz Luise in Hannover-Kirchrode, dying itself is part of everyday life. The prospect of one\u2019s own death, or that of a loved one, often triggers feelings of powerlessness and loss of control. In hospices such as Luise, people who are seriously ill and dying find a place to spend their last days in dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hospice movement in Germany emerged in the early 1980s as part of a citizens\u2019 movement in which volunteers played an essential role from the outset. The Catholic-run Hospiz Luise opened in 1994. A team of nurses, doctors, volunteers and a chaplain helps patients and the people close to them to ease suffering and provide a sense of security. Despite strict admission criteria, there are far more applicants than places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In atmosphere, hospices usually differ greatly from hospitals or care homes. \u2018We want to meet the uncertainty of dying and create a place of the greatest possible security,\u2019 says Haus Luise\u2019s mission statement. A volunteer also emphasises the calm and the feeling of safety: \u2018When people die the next day and the evening before they still eat fried potatoes with a fried egg, with a real appetite\u2026 I find that beautiful.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n \n\n

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The bath with whirlpool function<\/strong> is very popular with patients.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div> \n\n\n \n\n \n \n\n

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In the chapel:<\/strong> each candle stands for someone who has recently died.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div> \n\n\n \n\n \n \n\n

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Eating together and sharing memories: <\/strong>the table laid in the common room<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div> \n\n\n \n\n \n<\/div>\n\n

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The staff do not only accompany patients in their final hours.<\/strong> They also try to create a pleasant atmosphere for those close to them \u2013 relatives, friends and the patients\u2019 wider social circle.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n

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When people die the next day<\/strong> and the evening before they still eat fried potatoes with a fried egg, with a real appetite\u2026 I find that beautiful.<\/p>\n <\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n

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An empty bed after a woman who has died has been collected.<\/strong> Following Christian tradition, the window was closed after the body had been carried out.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n \n\n

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What remains:<\/strong> memories and gratitude from those left behind<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div> \n\n\n \n\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Created in the Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography programme at Hochschule Hannover. About the programme<\/a> \u00b7 Portfolio review<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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