Thomas Zöller in action: On site for better care and advice!

Thomas Zöller in action: On site for better care and advice!

During a week without meetings, Thomas Zöller, MdL, took the opportunity to visit his home constituency. The member of the state parliament stopped at the Geras nursing home in Fehlsbach, where he was received by the Baier family. It operates a total of seven facilities in Germany. In addition to the site mayor Michael Schüßler, Zöller also took part in the visit, which gave the Baier family the opportunity to introduce the structures and history of their company in more detail. The conversations that Zöller had with the residents about the challenges and opportunities of care were particularly important.

A central theme was the continuous dialogue between all those involved to improve the quality of care. Zöller noted how important it is that the voices of those affected are heard in order to initiate targeted improvements in care. His commitment to this matter is clear: he wants to support and sustainably promote the infrastructure in the care sector.

Variety of advisory services

On Tuesday, Zöller visited the “Donum Vitae” counseling center in Aschaffenburg, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. In conversations with the director, Ms. Staab, he learned more about the facility's diverse offerings, which go far beyond traditional pregnancy counseling. A central concern of the counseling center is to support women and families who have experienced grief from miscarriages, abortions or unfulfilled desires to have children.

In addition, “Donum Vitae” carries out important prevention work in schools by addressing topics such as sexuality and contraception. This shows how committed the organization is to meeting societal needs and enabling young people to make informed decisions. The advice center is a valuable element in the region that not only offers support in crisis situations, but also actively contributes to education.

Palliative care in focus

The following day, Zöller took part in the palliative hospice day in Elsenfeld, which was organized by the Miltenberg district office. The sensitive approach to dealing with death was discussed, and Zöller was there as a guest and listener while the TABUtants gave their empathetic impulses. Palliative care is an important topic that is of great importance in Germany. According to an analysis, it is estimated that about 90% of those who die have a need for palliative care, however, statistics show that only 32.7% of insured people received palliative care in the last six months of life, which is well below the estimated need.

Bavaria is an interesting case here. Although the use of general palliative care is relatively high at 34.1%, specialized palliative care remains below the national average at 13.1%. In the discussions at the Hospice Day, Zöller was also interested in discussing how to improve palliative care services in the region.

In a further effort to preserve local traditions, Zöller visited the GZV Sulzbach pedigree poultry exhibition as a judge. He was able to express his connection to rural culture and the local people. The visit to the Hubertus Mass in Himmelthal Monastery, which was celebrated by Pastor Franz Leipold and where the hunting horn players from the Oberburg district group provided musical support, also showed how deeply rooted Zöller is in his homeland.

Zöller concluded his week of visits with joy at the opportunity to attend numerous appointments in his homeland. His commitment in the various areas shows how important it is to be in dialogue with the population and to actively represent the various concerns of citizens.