The traveling exhibition "Family Hospice Work" by Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V. was opened today at the Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin (ASH Berlin). It will be on display in the foyer of the new building until June 1.
The opening was framed by a small accompanying program. After welcoming speeches by ASH President Prof. Dr. Bettina Völter and the representatives of Malteser Hilfsdienst e. V., Kerstin Kurzke and Sonja Thissen, a specialist lecture was given by Katja Boguth, head of the Bachelor's degree course in Nursing, and Marie-Louise Posselt, teacher for special tasks. They shed light on the role of volunteers in professional care work. Afterwards, the guests had the opportunity to take a tour of the exhibition together.
The exhibition draws attention to the important work of outpatient family hospice services, which often takes place behind the scenes. It provides insights into the reality of life for families with underage children in which a parent is seriously ill. It asks key questions: What challenges and needs do these families face? What form can support take? The texts and images on the roll-ups offer orientation in a subject area that is often perceived as stressful and show that those affected are not alone in such situations.
The exhibition comprises six double-sided roll-ups, which are supplemented by QR codes with further information. They trace the path of the affected families - from the initial shock of a diagnosis to saying goodbye and moving on. Each topic is presented from two perspectives: from the point of view of the families (purple) and from the point of view of the volunteers involved in family hospice work (yellow). In addition, a tablet offers personal insights through video reports from volunteers.
The traveling exhibition was developed by the Senate Department for Science, Health and Care together with Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V. as the project sponsor and the Hospice and Palliative Association Berlin as a cooperation partner. It is part of the "Berlin Initiative for Strong Family Hospice Work" (IniFa) launched in 2023.
A special accompanying offer is a discussion event on May 6, 2026 from 14:00 to 15:00 in the theater room. The Buddhist pastor Venerable Tharchin will report on his voluntary work at the Sukhavati - Center for Spiritual Care in Bad Saarow. In conversation with Prof. Dr. Bettina Völter, he will discuss, among other things, how spirituality can help to make it easier to deal with dying, death and grief.
In addition, a book table in the ASH Berlin library invites you to take a closer look at the topic of hospice work. Cindy Lautenbach from ASH Berlin's Family Office will be on hand to answer questions on how to reconcile studying or working with challenging family situations.
Anyone interested is cordially invited to visit the exhibition, take part in the accompanying event and make use of the information available in the library.
