inlumine • On the Purchase of the Children’s Home and Boat-like Beds

About the job

It began when the postmaster of the village of Langenbruck, who also worked on the valuation commission of the Sonnenhof Arlesheim Parents' Association, set out to find a suitable place for a home to care for severely disabled people. He came across the children’s home in Langenbruck, which was empty and no longer needed after tuberculosis was combated with medication and air spa resorts like Langenbruck were no longer in demand.

The house was inspected, approved, and purchased by the board of the Parents' Association: for 280,000 CHF including grounds and inventory. There were barely a few hundred francs in the association’s cash box when the purchase contract was signed on 22.4.1966.

At that time, the IV (disability insurance) only contributed to an adult home if at least 60% of the residents were capable of integration. A workshop was therefore a condition for funding. And it had to be self-sustaining. To make matters worse, contributions from the IV and possibly the canton of Baselland were not expected for two years. So the parents faced a long financial dry spell.

Once again, it was up to the parents to take matters into their own hands to ensure the project to adequately accommodate their children succeeded. Relatives provided interest-free or low-interest loans. The board solicited donations from friends and companies with begging letters, and two mortgages were taken out.

This is how the children’s home in Langenbruck was purchased. There was even some leftover money to have the interiors painted, to install a second bathroom and heating. The kitchen was gently renovated. Every piece of furniture and equipment already there was welcomed. For example, the large, boat-like beds with (old!) mattresses and mountain-like duvets.

But where was the money to come from for the workshop required by the IV – which could not be housed in the home building?

The home commission appointed for Sonnmatt found a solution. They rented a decommissioned national road construction hut at a favourable price. Volunteers – apprentices from Aktion 7 – erected it free of charge. Now a room was available for weaving, wood, wax, and knitting work. Metalwork was also added; companies had metal parts assembled at Sonnmatt.

This ensured that funding was also supported by the IV, even though the amount only arrived in 1969, i.e. three years after the purchase. It was only a third of the purchase price, which was further reduced by a quarter because the home housed 25% non-integrable people.

Two years after its founding, the home had 13 residents (of whom five were "care cases") and – besides the house parents – two employees. Two more positions were approved. But it was difficult – and remained so for decades – to find staff.

Even today, sixty years later, financial support as well as the shortage of specialised and care staff for disabled people remain unfortunately the greatest challenges for our institutions. It seems little has been learned from history. Ever new demands from the canton and the federal government, which often overlook the reality of daily care in our institutions, challenge all those who care for the residents daily. Then as now, it is therefore important to implement the requirements with moderation and loving common sense so that they bring real added value to our clientele.

More on this in our next story, which will lead us to the current commitment of the foundation.