The Confederation

A Confederation – A Plethora of Tasks

In Herne and Gelsenkirchen the acronym ASB has been the epitome of rescue services, care and social commitment for more than 85 years. The Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) is now one of the largest welfare confederations within the river Ruhr area, counting approximately 4,000 members and almost 600 employees in the Regional Confederation as well as in the affiliated organisations. Not only the traditional Confederation’s tasks in connection to rescue services, disaster control and paramedic training but also transport services offered by ASB organisations play a prominent role when it comes to the transportation of hospital patients and physically challenged people. Thanks to the small but nonetheless essential personal alarm pager the Confederation is able to convey many senior citizens an indispensable sense of safety and security within their own four walls.
In the last years the ASB organisations operating in the region with now six residential care units have been dedicating their time and efforts to the care of the elderly. Apart from traditional nursing care and a variety of additional social support services you can also find in the throughout bright and state-of-the-art residences of the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund numerous special units, where for instance people requiring respiratory care, extremely young people or people suffering from severe dementia are being cared for in a highly professional manner. Occupational and physiotherapists provide for the necessary mobilization enabling those residents requiring a high level of care to continue with their daily life as long as possible. In an additional residential care unit people suffering from multiple addictions are being taught after detoxification to cope again with the basic every day tasks and prepared with care and attention to lead again an independent life.

ASB Akademiestiftung Wissen & Bildung (ASB Academy Foundation Knowledge and Education) is responsible for providing the staff working in the care facilities of the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund in the river Ruhr area with advanced vocational training. In doing so, it assures that the professionals working in the care, support and service sector are always acquainted with the latest standard of knowledge. Besides, the foundation facilitates debates on current social trends and developments by organising public information events and discussion panels.

The ASB Herne-Gelsenkirchen has furthermore been committed for many years in South Africa. A new Daycare Center for AIDS orphans has recently been inaugurated in a Township close to Johannesburg in cooperation with a South African funding organisation. The Center provides up to 200 children with individual support, regular meals and basic medical treatment on a daily basis. The ASB also organises apprenticeships for adolescents and grants university scholarships for extraordinarily gifted adolescents coming from poor areas.

ASB Regional Confederation Herne-Gelsenkirchen e.V is headed by a three-person Board of Directors, which is elected by the General Assembly of Members. The operational side of the business, however, is run by the Managing Director.