Oberreichenbach autism community: A space for a free and self-determined life

For the second part of our series on exemplary projects supported by our employee association "ergo: wir helfen e.V.", we travel to Oberreichenbach/Kammerstein in Middle Franconia. Last year, an idea became reality there: in a shared living arrangement, people with autism are given the chance to lead as independent and self-determined a life as possible.

 The idea of developing a special form of living and filling it with life came from Barbara and Norbert Lang, who cared for their autistic son Marc Aurelius at home for 19 years. The family found an ally in Kati Weigand from ERGO Direkt, who has an 18-year-old autistic daughter named Francesca. Together, they launched the shared living arrangement for autistic people, which has since established itself as a successful model.

An environment tailored to needs

In the shared living arragement, which is a form of assisted living, up to ten residents find an environment tailored to their needs with family-like living conditions. Each resident has their own room and can use the communal areas. Depending on their needs, they receive round-the-clock care and are involved in everyday life. A key advantage is that they can decide for themselves who cares for them and how they would like to be cared for. This is because in the assisted living group, residents have a say in the selection of care staff.

This type of living arrangement is particularly appealing to young people, as it allows them to lead as independent a life as possible and receive individual care. The shared living arrangement offers activities such as crafts, music therapy and memory training. A committee of relatives ensures consistently high quality of care and support. Anyone interested can find more information here: www.autisten-wg.de.

Families reach their limits

Kati Weigand knows from her own experience that the ‘standard’ looks different. She looks back on many difficult years that often pushed her to her limits. Even as a baby, her daughter Francesca hardly slept, ate little, was sensitive to noise and couldn't settle down. Every day took a lot of strength from Kati Weigand. Then, at the age of two, came the diagnosis: a severe form of early childhood autism.

The shock and pain ran deep. At that point, Kati Weigand could hardly imagine the marathon that lay ahead of her. Every new stage she tackled was accompanied by a strong desire for a happy outcome. As a working mother, it was difficult for her to balance work and family life – in her case, the continuous care of a child with angry outbursts.

She had started looking for a residential home early on. When Francesca was eleven, she found a facility in Thuringia. But the care proved difficult. Not only because Francesca's condition was visibly deteriorating, she was constantly on the lookout for suitable residential homes.

Shared living conditions as a lifeline

But she didn't want to give up. Through the district of Middle Franconia, she had already been in contact with the Lang family, and together they developed the concept for the shared living arrangement for autistic people – a project that involved a great deal of organisational, financial and administrative effort – and still does. The official opening took place on 1 March 2024. Today, around 50 assistants, including specialist staff with professional pedagogical management and security, work for the outpatient care service for the shared accomodation, which operates as a civil law partnership (GbR) and is managed by Kati Weigand. In addition, a great deal of initiative is required on the part of the relatives when it comes to food provision, manual tasks, gardening, cash management and housekeeping.

Space for free and self-determined living thanks to great support

‘We have created a space where our children can live freely and self-determinedly. The first step has been taken. Now we need to develop the shared living arrangement further, which, like everything in life, involves expenses. We depend on support for this. Our entire project has been financed exclusively through monetary and material donations. Every donation, no matter how small, helps us to continue offering our residents a varied and fulfilling life in the future,’ she explains, pointing out that everyday items are still urgently needed: ‘Furniture, crockery, Christmas and Easter decorations, tools, chopping boards, a coffee machine, cutlery, plastic plates, clothes horses, gardening tools and much more have helped us greatly to create a beautiful home. But we are still in the early stages and continue to welcome any donations.’

Every pound donated is well spent

Kati Weigand found a lot of support within ERGO after she took the initiative and drew attention to her situation through internal channels. ‘The response was overwhelming,’ she says. ‘I didn't expect people to be so willing to help. I received many monetary and in-kind donations.’ “ergo: wir helfen” is convinced that every euro donated to the autistic flat share is put to good use.

Text: Bärbel Naberbäumer/Martin Sulkowsky

Autismus Mittelfranken e.V.: Active for solidarity and coexistence

The association “Autismus Mittelfranken e.V.” is a self-help association for autistic people and their parents and relatives. Its primary tasks include supporting affected families, training specialist staff, initiatives for appropriate schooling, cooperation with authorities, educators, therapists and medical professionals, and cooperation with other disability organisations and autism associations, in particular the Autism Competence Centre (Autkom).

Autismus Mittelfranken e.V.: https://www.autismus-mfr.de/

Information about ergo: wir helfen: www.ergo.com/en/sustainability/areas-of-activity/commitment