Supporting Families with Disabled Children

After wake up between 7.00 and 7.30 am the kids get washed and dressed for breakfast. Breakfast, like all meals, is taken with the group in the dining room. Breakfast time is from 8.00 to 9.30 am.

At about 10.00 am the kids gather for the daily morning circle to start the day with a morning song: a ritual that brings the children together and signifies the start of the day.

Until lunch (from 12.00 to 1.00 pm) there is time for walks, excursions, time to make music or to play in or outside, leisure time or time for therapy. The nature-near location of Kupferhof and its facilities assure varied activities.

After lunch and a short rest time the kids are well prepared for the afternoon program, only interrupted by afternoon tea at 3 pm. A team of clowns visit Kupferhof regularly as well as therapy dogs. Other planned projekts may be baking, painting, crafting or excursions or.....

Between 5.30 and 7.00 pm the kids gather again in the dining room for dinner.

Afterwards day will be completed with another daily ritual, the evening circle.

Then the children are prepared to get ready for bed. Again the care staff tries to follow individual bed time rituals.

Although this daily schedule sounds like an constantly repeating tight time schedule every day is different. All children are treated differently due to their disabilities or abilities or their mood, their wishes or individual rituals. So some children may play in the garden, while others have fun inside and again others get special therapy .Nevertheless the children are encouraged to spend time and to do things together because this promotes their social and pysical skills.

One reason why the kids have meals together.

Our primary goal is to enable all our guests (disabled children, parents and siblings) a few enjoyable days in relaxing surroundings.

The excursion to a farm with therapy horses was a wonderful day of success, joy and laughter.

The various children with disabilities (the Kupferhof-team lovingly call them „special kids“) are relied on individual specialized wheelchairs. Therefore special vehicles were needed to transport the „special kids“, the care team and some siblings to a farm which host therapy horses.

There the children could remove their fear of contact, stroke the horses or even ride on them. Not only the children had fun and a lovely change from daily routine but also the care team enjoyed the excursion.

With your help excursions like this can be realized, because these special vehicles (like mentioned above) cost a lot of money. So does therapy time with therapy horses.

The children with disabilities benefit from horse therapy, because the therapy has a potential effect on bodily functions and a positive motivating effect on the psyche.

Not only the disabled children benefitted from that excursion but also the siblings who accompanied their disabled brother or sister. Often the siblings have to put their own interests behind she special needs of the disabled children.

During the stay at Der Neue Kupferhof the siblings can spend time with their parents, while the disabled children are lovingly cared for by an professional care team and the parents can take a break from their exhausting 24 hour routine.