For almost 50 years, the Lucerne Foundation for the Severely Disabled (SSBL) has accompanied and looked after people with disabilities. The individual needs of the residents are the focus of attention.
The Foundation for the Severely Disabled Lucerne SSBL accompanies and cares for people with mental and multiple disabilities. The main location of SSBL is Rathausen near Emmen (canton of Lucerne), where 180 people can live a life worth living in the heart of a historic monastery. “The aim of our work is to ensure the best possible quality of life for every person,” says SSBL Director Pius Bernet.
Investments in the future
To achieve this goal, SSBL is faced with various challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the demographic development of society. “The age pyramid does not cease to apply at SSBL,” says Bernet. In plain English: in the future, SSBL will increasingly have to deal with people with multiple disabilities, who also suffer from age-related ailments. “To master this task, you need good planning, the necessary skilled personnel and the right infrastructure.” This is precisely why SSBL recently constructed additional residential buildings in Rathausen. “To meet the growing need for care in the long term, we will continue to invest in our infrastructure in the future.”
A special view of the other side
In addition to investing in staff and infrastructure, SSBL is also consciously investing in public communications. “By doing so, we want to bring our institution closer to the people,” explains Bernet. As an example of this, the SSBL director cites the “Seitenwechsel” [Changing Sides] project, in which JTI has already participated. This “Changing Sides” enables interested companies to visit SSBL for one or more days and gain a deeper insight into the work of the Foundation. “This project benefits both the residents of SSBL and the participants in 'Changing Sides',” says Bernet. The SSBL Director knows that “After changing sides in a soccer match, everyone runs out a different way than they came in.”
Individual works of art of high artistic quality
As a further example, Bernet mentions an art project in which people with and without disabilities participate. Its special feature: in the cloisters of Rathausen Monastery, the boundaries between art by people with and without disabilities are blurred. Who has painted which picture remains unstated. “Through their paintings, drawings or sculptures, the artists show us how they perceive the world,” explains Bernet. “Thanks to the creative cooperation with the outside artists, individual artworks of high artistic quality come into being.” The sale proceeds of the works by the SSBL artists and part of the proceeds of the guest artists are used for the SSBL studios, where the residents can express themselves creatively and develop artistically.
SSBL
SSBL has been looking after people with severe disabilities since 1971. They can live, work and make use of leisure activities at SSBL. Around 845 employees are committed to the well-being of the people they care for every day. With its 40 residential groups in the canton of Lucerne, it has its locus at the heart of society and assumes responsibility within the connected network of the state, relatives, associations and partner institutions. As part of the “Changing Sides” project, JTI employees also actively participated in singing, painting or baking workshops at SSBL.