Bethel - This further training attracted her to Bethel

No, this work is not easy. Supporting people with acquired brain injuries is a huge and exhausting challenge. Jutta Pollkläsener accepts it. Day after day, with full conviction and great joy. "I enjoy working with clients who have an acquired brain injury because many of them can develop a lot. This gives me a motivating sense of achievement," says the curative education nurse. Jutta Pollkläsener completed in-service training from Bildung & Beratung Bethel in 2023 and 2024 in order to provide the best possible help to the clients at her workplace in Bethel's supported living centre in Hövelhof in the Paderborn district.

Jutta Pollkläsener has been working with affected clients for many years. However, the 46-year-old has only been working for Bethel since April 2023. When Supported Living Hövelhof opened its doors back then, she had just moved to the Senne community with her family. So it literally made sense for her to apply. Jutta Pollkläsener reports that another argument in favour of the job change was the prospect of taking part in the "Weiter-Leben" training course: "That's what attracted me. I know from my own experience: it's not a matter of course that employers make further training like this possible."

In the 18-month programme with the subtitle "Supporting people with acquired brain injury in their self-determination and participation", Jutta Pollkläsener and eleven other participants underwent further training under the direction of lecturer Meike Ude in face-to-face seminars in Bethel as well as in online training courses. For example, in ethics, neurology, neuropsychology and dealing with challenging behaviour from clients and relatives. "I haven't been challenged like this for a long time, both in terms of content and how to use the computer," says Jutta Pollkläsener with a laugh - and adds: "I found it great and motivating."

Jutta Pollkläsener says that she has learnt a lot for her day-to-day work in Hövelhof. One example: "If you understand which brain regions are responsible for which functions, you can understand a client's change in behaviour or incontinence, for example, and can respond to them better," she explains. Based on this knowledge, she developed strategies for everyday life with her client Sebastian F.*, whose speech centre, among other things, has been impaired since a bicycle accident. He now has photos on his mobile phone of the food he likes to buy. He shows them to supermarket staff when he can't find the products there. This is because he finds it difficult to find the necessary words.