The applicant will then be sent a form that must be filled out

Reform of paragraph 219a: Spahn researches the consequences of abortion Quickly explained: This is what the ban on advertising for abortions is about Treacherous side effect: The birth control pill gets a new warning

Experts are now eagerly awaiting what the study, which will be awarded in 2019, will look like. One thing is certain, says Helfferich: "The study will be under observation. It will have to be scientifically serious."

Sources used: dpa news agency

If children have to look after their parents at once, this unfamiliar role reversal can quickly trigger a feeling of shame. How the care of relatives works for everyone involved.

Caring for loved ones can be uncomfortable for both parties – especially when getting dressed, undressed or washed. Sometimes, however, small changes are enough to overcome the shame, the magazine says "Care and family".

Exactly what changes are different from person to person: For example, some people in need of care find moving less uncomfortable if they are not completely naked. It might help to wash and put on your upper and lower body one after the other.

Get support

Changing care products can also be useful: men, for example, often feel better with incontinence panties than with insoles. And it often helps to make the atmosphere more pleasant, with relaxed music and a warm room temperature.

Care Strengthening Act: Care levels become care levels Outpatient care: How to find the right care service Care allowance: What does it cost to stay in a care home

In case of doubt, caregivers are also allowed to hand over the delicate tasks. Other relatives who can cope better with it or professional supporters of care services come into question. However, the wishes of the person in need of care should play a role: For example, men often prefer to be cared for by men and women by women. This is especially true for activities that push the limits of shame.

Sources used: dpa magazine news agency "Care and family" (Edition 1/2019)

According to a newspaper report, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) receives an extra five million euros from the federal budget for a controversial study on the emotional consequences of abortion. 

Abortion – The debate is about these rights and prohibitions

Termination of pregnancy
The debate is about these rights and prohibitions

Germany is preoccupied with the debate on Paragraph 219a. t-online.de classifies the hotly debated topic. Video

As the "Picture on sunday" reported, citing government circles, the Federal Ministry of Health receives additional funds for a study on the consequences of abortions, according to the cabinet proposal approved on Wednesday. For the implementation of the study, an additional 1.25 million euros were approved in each of the budget years 2020 to 2023.

Criticism from the SPD: "Millions for nonsense"

The SPD member of the Bundestag Florian Post criticized the financial injection. Be it "a scandal to spend millions on such nonsense"he said "BamS".

The federal government launched the easing of the advertising ban on abortions on Wednesday. The reform of the criminal law paragraph 219a decided in the cabinet stipulates that doctors, hospitals and institutions will in future be allowed to inform them that they are performing abortions. In addition, there should be a list kept by the German Medical Association of doctors who offer abortions.

Dispute over "Nazi paragraphs": How the state patronizes women in abortionsCriticism from opposition: Cabinet approves new abortion paragraph 219a

The Union was different from the SPD for maintaining the ban on advertising for abortions. The chairmen of the CDU and CSU, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Markus Söder, had therefore announced that they would carefully examine the draft law. Spahn also stuck to his controversial plan to have a study carried out on the emotional consequences of abortion. The SPD rejects the study.

Sources used: AFP news agency

If a transsexual has her beard hair removed by a beautician, the statutory health insurance has to cover the costs. That emerges from a judgment of the social court in Hanover.

According to a ruling by the Hanover Social Court, the statutory health insurance has to pay for the hair removal of a transsexual. The health fund had refused to assume the costs and claimed that the plaintiff had to use a contracted doctor.

It was based on the procedure of a woman from Hanover, born in 1972 in a male body, who had been certified as transsexual by a doctor in 2015. The verdict is not yet legally binding. (Ref .: S 86 KR 384/18)

Right to gender reassignment treatment

The court said that the plaintiff had problems coping with the new role because of the strong growth of beard.how to make a good argumentative essay A needle epilation treatment by a dermatologist led to a significantly worsened inflammatory complexion. In contrast, the removal of the whiskers by an electrologist – a beautician with appropriate training – did not cause any inflammatory skin reactions.

Gender identity: What is transsexuality? What is it like to be intersexual: Neither woman nor man – a life in between Dangerous: That is why pulling out nose hairs can lead to death

The Hanover Social Court followed the case law of the Federal Social Court, according to which transsexual insured persons are entitled to gender reassignment treatment to reduce their psychological distress. The dermatologist had certified the woman’s pronounced beard growth on the face.

Sources used: dpa news agency

Anyone who misses an appointment without excuse will be blocked for a few weeks for new appointments in the future. The number of missed appointments is too high. 

Doctors in private practice in Germany have called for sanctions for patients who skip medical appointments made through appointment service centers. Around 30 percent of the appointments arranged would be missed by the patients without excuse, said the NAV-Virchow-Bund (Association of German Doctors in Practice) on Thursday in Berlin.

Anyone who can get an appointment through the mediation offices of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and then cancel it without rejection should be blocked from all further appointments for four weeks.

Are deadlines "in solidarity"

"We are in a system of solidarity in which there is a legal requirement for economic efficiency", explains the chairman of the NAV-Virchow-Bund, Dirk Heinrich. Who does not show deadline ethics, "behaves in a lack of solidarity towards other patients and inappropriately towards the limited resources in the system".

Survey on making appointments: With these doctors, patients have to wait a particularly long time Doctors at the limit: This is what the future of emergency rooms could look like Next level of telemedicine: Spahn wants to bring prescriptions to mobile phones by 2020

The legislature must therefore sharpen the appointment service points set up in 2016. "Because these truants take away the appointments from those who really need one", criticizes Heinrich.

Sources used: AFP news agency

Officially there are 7.6 million severely disabled people in Germany. But it should be significantly more. Because many people are severely disabled and do not know it.

There are more severely disabled people in this country than the official number suggests. Because many people are not aware that chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, bronchial asthma, tinnitus or rheumatism can also represent severe disabilities under certain conditions. This means that those affected miss benefits and compensation for disadvantages.

When is one considered disabled?

But when is one considered disabled? "That is defined in social law", says Cornelia Jurrmann from the social association VdK. A disability is when someone has one or more impairments that last longer than six months. Participation in social life must be impaired. The severity is expressed by the degree of disability (GdB) or the degree of damage consequences (GdS). Details are regulated by the Ordinance on Medical Services.

This regulation is also called the GdS table. GdB and GdS are graduated in units of ten and can be between 20 and 100. "Someone is considered severely disabled if the GdB is 50 and more"says the Federal Government Commissioner for the Issues of People with Disabilities, Verena Bentele.

Migraines and acne can also be severe disabilities

An example: A severe form of migraine with strongly pronounced accompanying symptoms can justify a GdB of 50 to 60 – the person affected is severely disabled. With chronic urinary bladder inflammation and a shrunken bladder, the GdB is between 50 and 70. If a malignant breast tumor was removed from a woman, she will have a GdB of at least 50 for at least the first five years – as long as the patient has been waiting to see whether the patient has healed. Even people with very pronounced acne sometimes have a GdB of 50. In principle, any illness, whether physical or psychological, can justify a GdB.

How to apply for a severely disabled person’s pass

If there are several impairments, the GdB can increase. "The highest individual GdB is assumed and a check is made as to whether this is increased by the other impairments or not", explains Bentele.

Anyone who wants to have a severe disability determined must submit an application to the pension office in their community. An informal letter in which you ask about the "Determination of severely disabled status" asks.

The applicant will then be sent a form that must be filled out. "It is important that the applicant makes it clear that he is personally affected", explains the Düsseldorf specialist lawyer for labor and social law, Regine Windirsch. He has to describe exactly to what extent the illness affects one’s everyday life. For example, if someone has depression, they should mention that they can hardly motivate themselves to get up in the morning. "It can be helpful to include a daily routine that you have written yourself", explains Jurrmann from VdK.

Severely handicapped pass with a degree of disability of at least 50

In order to shorten processing times, all medical documents relating to the health disorder should be attached to the application. The office examines the application and determines whether there is a disability and what degree it is. If the GdB or GdS is at least 50, a severely handicapped ID will be issued. With this ID, disadvantages and discounts can be claimed.

"People with disabilities can claim a tax exemption", explains Bentele. With a GdB between 45 and 50 it is around 570 euros, with a GdB between 55 and 60 it is 720 euros and continues to rise – with a GdB between 95 and 100 it is 1420 euros. In addition, people with severe disabilities can retire at the age of 62 – provided they have paid at least 35 years to the statutory pension insurance. However, there may then be reductions in the amount of the pension.

Employees do not have to tell employers about severe disabilities

Incidentally, employees are not obliged to tell the employer about their severe disability. Many keep it quiet because they fear they will be professionally disadvantaged. "The opposite is usually the case", emphasizes Windirsch. By law, the employer must support the severely disabled. You are entitled to approximately five days of additional paid vacation per year and the right to refuse overtime. In addition, severely disabled people cannot be dismissed easily. The integration office must first agree.

There are also some perks outside of working life. For example, people with reduced mobility can travel cheaper or sometimes free of charge by bus and train. In some cases, you also have the option of parking your vehicle in restricted parking spaces and in parking spaces for the disabled. At cultural and leisure events, there are often price reductions if you present a severely handicapped ID.

Severely disabled people are entitled to assistance – even in their second job

Severely disabled people are entitled to a so-called job assistance. Which and how they pursue which jobs, however, they can decide for themselves. The right to assistance therefore also exists in part-time or secondary employment as a self-employed person. This emerges from a judgment of the Federal Administrative Court (Az .: 5 C 9.16), to which the German Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBSV) refers.

The plaintiff in the case was blind and recognized as a severely disabled person. Since 2000 he worked as a civil servant. In 2013, however, he reduced his position to 50 percent in order to become self-employed as an agent and manager for artists. For this he applied for the cost of a job assistance to be covered.

However, the responsible integration office refused: the aim of the assumption of costs is to reintegrate unemployed severely disabled people into the job market. Since the plaintiff already has a job, this is not necessary here. On the other hand, the man went to court. At first he was unsuccessful before the Higher Administrative Court (OVG), but the Federal Administrative Court has now basically found him right. The OVG must therefore re-examine the case.

According to the judges, the aim of the law for severely disabled persons is actually to reduce or prevent unemployment among those affected. However, this does not mean that severely disabled people have to be unemployed or at risk of unemployment in order to get money for a job assistance. And at the same time, it shouldn’t be a disadvantage for the severely disabled if they change jobs or reorient themselves professionally. That is why there is a fundamental right to support even in self-employed part-time work.

Walking problems in old age: does muscle weakness make seniors wobbly? Carrier intestine: What helps with chronic constipation Stubborn flu virus: Patient representative: Health insurers should pay for quadruple vaccinations against flu Sources used: dpa news agency

The Federal Drug Commissioner presented the 2018 Drugs and Addiction Report. The number of drug deaths in Germany fell slightly last year for the first time in a long time to 1,272.