Take time out together to recharge your batteries
.Get out of the daily grind for once, get away from it all, recharge your batteries, enjoy some carefree time together: This is doubly valuable for parents of disabled children, but also doubly difficult. The statutory health insurance funds enable parent cures - alone or with the child. But it also works individually, of course. Fortunately, there are suitable resorts and aids. However, it needs a good and often long-term preparation.
This is good news: the number of vacation offers suitable for people with disabilities is increasing. Some travel agents have specialized in planning and organizing trips for people with disabilities and their relatives. Vacation accommodations cater to special needs, and some vacation homes and apartments are attached to care facilities. Family vacation homes, care hotels or barrier-free farms are also available. What you should do as part of your trip planning: Check what requirements your destination absolutely must meet. For example: What distance do we dare to walk? Do we need a care bed? Are the accommodation and surroundings barrier-free? Is the sanitary area sufficiently large and suitably equipped?
If you don't want to or can't use a car, it is advisable to register special needs with the train or airline in good time.
About two-thirds of German train stations are barrier-free, look for a suitable one if necessary. Use the mobility service center of the railroad for all questions about traveling with a disabled child. You can get the information you need here, for example, you can arrange for train staff to help you get on and off the train, and much more. The Mobility Service Center can be reached by phone at 030 65212888 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and national holidays. It is also possible to register for assistance on the Internet: msz-hilfe.specials-bahn.de.
Help is also available at the airport. Assistance at check-in and boarding is free of charge, as is the transport of a wheelchair or necessary medical aids. Here, too, the rule is: register in good time! You must clarify any necessary special considerations regarding the choice of seat when booking.
On the following websites, among others, you can find travel agents and organizations that have focused on travel for people with disabilities:
Caring for and caring for a disabled child is often mentally and physically challenging for parents. A vacation can help recharge their batteries. For up to six weeks a year, family caregivers are entitled to short-term care or preventive care. The nursing care insurance fund then pays for care in a suitable facility or substitute care in the home. Here, too, it is important to make arrangements in good time. Short-term care places are often allocated on a long-term basis. Another option may be a claim for short-term living within the framework of integration assistance.