When I came to Wolfsburg in the fall of 2006 to visit a friend after several years, I found him not at his address, but in the hospital. He was supposed to be transferred from there to a nursing home the next day because he had gone blind, and in addition to dialysis and an artificial anus, shortness of breath was becoming even more frequent. He said he didn't want to go there, but wanted to return to his apartment. The caregiver was also there, and so my friend and I agreed that I would rent an apartment where he had lived, so that he, as a blind person, would still know his way around. It worked, and I cared for him in our shared apartment until February 2012. I also raised two small children alone in the household. Values like respect, friendship, and tolerance were practiced every day and also served as a role model for my two boys. Both sons became city school representatives within a few years, particularly because of their strong social skills; one of them was named "Wolfsburg Citizen of the Year" among young people in 2015. Throughout all these years, an oil painting I painted hung above the bed of RL, a person who needed care. It conveyed humanity and the courage to be strong. RL had many good years, learned to take the bus into town on his own and got along well there. He was given a healthier diet and daily encouragement whenever he felt like slipping into a negative mood. The boys also gave him emotional support. A story about friendship Today, his two sons have long since moved out, but we still have the larger apartment, and since I was out of the workforce for too many years, I, as a recipient of SGB II, have to pay part of the rent myself because the apartment is too big. The standard allowance only leaves 140 euros a month to live on.
