A place where parents can go for free treatment if they are too stressed.

Nordernay Island is home to the Müttergenesungswerk clinic, which aims to help exhausted parents.

Parenting is a stressful job. Balancing a career, a family, and being a single parent or having no one to help care for a sick child can leave many people exhausted, depressed, or unwell.

In Germany, parents with this problem are prescribed a vacation at a seaside or mountain spa by their doctor. Most four-week package holidays are covered by health insurance. These spas are resorts managed by clinics that license patients to go on vacation, and offer treatments to help patients recover physically and mentally.

The Germans have an old concept called "Kur", literally meaning cure, which involves long holidays aimed at curing various ailments. The cures include helibad or medicinal baths in resort towns such as Baden-Baden, Wiesbaden, Bad Ems.

Germany has nearly 350 such health resorts, many of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For centuries, they have been frequented by royalty and aristocrats, along with sick people from all over Europe and the world. People flock here to heal and restore their health.

Focusing on preventative, restorative care, Kur is often aimed at exhausted parents, with treatments including mutter und kin (mother and child) and vater unn kid (father and child). All Germans are entitled to this treatment benefit every four years.

Cécile Poirot and her daughter today. When her daughter was 6 years old, they went to treatment to treat Poirot's depression.

Police officer Cécile Poirot, who lives in Elmshorn in northern Germany, is one of those who has used Kur to improve her health. She is exhausted by living 220km from work. She cannot apply for a job closer to home because moving from one state to another is "extremely difficult in the police force".

She often drove to Hamburg at 2am for her morning shift and returned home late in the evening. This repeatedly caused her to have severe insomnia and constant fatigue. Her condition was so severe that doctors prescribed four weeks of rest with her 6-year-old daughter.

The mother-and-child care system (mutter und kin) began to take shape in Germany after World War II, when the Müttergenesungswerk (MGW), the Institute for Mothers’ Health, was founded. This charity helped working women with children, helping them get back on track after many of their husbands had died in the war.

MGW is a unique organization in Germany, with no similar service found in Europe, said Petra Gerstkamp, ​​Deputy CEO.

Today, treatment is provided at clinics run by health insurance companies or MGW, for both parents. Germany does not have a free national health service, everyone must pay a monthly insurance premium. This is used to pay for patients to visit clinics run by insurance companies. MGW supports those who are not covered by insurance.

Parents with symptoms will be diagnosed by a doctor to qualify for treatment. In addition to physical signs of instability, mental signs are also carefully considered. Many people are irritable, lethargic, exhausted, and have trouble sleeping. In addition, many people show depression by "just crying" or feeling overwhelmed, never finishing even the smallest daily tasks.

The Hohes Licht clinic, located on the edge of the village of Oberstdorf in Bavaria, offers care and rehabilitation services for mothers.

According to MGW data, in 2022, more than 44,500 mothers and 2,300 fathers participated in preventive treatment or rehabilitation at clinics in the organization's network. The mothers are all aged 36-45, often working part-time. The fathers are full-time workers. The waiting list for vacations is often long because many are exhausted when facing the current pressures of life.

At a clinic on the North Sea, Poirot practices yoga for the first time, enjoys long walks in nature, and learns aqua aerobics. Her group is supported daily by a psychologist.

During that time off, Poirot was relieved of much of the pressure. The main problem that had been causing her exhaustion was the long commute. She was advised to lower her expectations of herself, having always tried to be the perfect mother and the perfect police officer.

Before the 1970s, only mothers participated in this therapy. But then they brought their children along. Insurance paid for babysitting while they were away, but mothers still wanted to bring their children along to increase interaction and participate in some activities with their children.

TB (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/noi-bo-me-duoc-di-chua-lanh-mien-phi-neu-qua-stress-389479.html