Type of Project: Funded project Scientific Work Model project
Motivation for aftercare attendance, particularly for self-help groups, by personal communication, support by telephone, and promotion of local offers

The statutory pension system regularly offers aftercare to its rehabilitation patients with the aim of strengthening the positive effects of such a rehabilitation. But in some indications only one third of patients attend aftercare offers like rehabilitation or orthopaedic sports while there is insufficient take up of self-help offers. This is unsustainable.

The project supports persons after attending a regular rehabilitation programme to find the right local aftercare offer, motivates them to attend, and provides alternatives if they can’t. Offers are both formal and informal, self-help ones. The project also provides an opportunity for self-help groups to revise their offers according to patients’ needs. The project aims
• To increase to take up of aftercare,
• To provide both formal and informal offers, and
• To motivate patients’ to actively take up self-help offers after formal aftercare expired.

The estimated number of participants is c17.000 persons, who will be recruited at three rehabilitation centers in Lower Saxony. Projekt partners are the self-help groups Rheuma-Liga Niedersachsen e.V. and Behinderten-Sportverband Niedersachsen e.V.; the rehabilitation centers Klinik Der Fürstenhof, Rehazentrum Bad Eilsen, Rehazentrum Bad Rothenfelde; and all statutory pension schemes. Sucess is measured by subjective wellbeing and attendance rates.