German Association of Bechterew's Disease
The Deutsche Vereinigung Morbus Bechterew eV Bundesverband is a self-help organization for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (Bechterew's disease) or related inflammatory diseases of the spine (spondyloarthritis) with the aim of safeguarding the common interests of the patients and promoting the same. It has its seat in Schweinfurt and is entered there in the register of associations of the local court. The DVMB is divided into local groups, regional associations and the federal association.
The association was founded in 1980 on the initiative of Herbert Hümmer in Schweinfurt and is organized exclusively by those affected. With over 16,000 patient and sustaining members, it is one of the largest patient organizations in Germany. The non-profit organization is led by an eight-person honorary board. Until the Federal Delegates' Assembly on June 16 and 17, 2012, Franz Gadenz was the chairman, since then it has been Peter Hippe, and Ludwig Hammel is the managing director.
The association wants to help learn to live with the disease and to take and represent a place in society. She wants to maintain existing mobility through exercise offers and to prevent deterioration or even stiffening and to motivate people to perform the exercises they have learned at home. The association wants to inform, advise, train and thus turn patients into experts when they are personally concerned. She wants to promote the exchange of experiences among those affected through encounters and avoid isolation.
Motto: 3B - Bechterewler need exercise, encounter and advice
aims
The association aims in particular:
- To contribute to the improvement of the physical and mental health, the fitness for life and the ability to work and earn money, especially to support those affected in the early stages of their illness
- To provide information on medical, social and insurance law issues and to advise members and their relatives in cases related to the illness
- To convey the exchange of experiences among those affected as well as friendly relationships and to strengthen the feeling of togetherness
- to represent the interests of those affected alone and together with similar self-help and disabled organizations vis-à-vis society and the legislature
- to maintain cooperation with doctors, therapists, associations of a similar nature and with organizations in the social and health sector
- to promote scientific research into the disease and to make the research results known to those affected.
"Herbert Hümmer Media Prize" for public journalists
The association awards journalist prizes, which will be awarded in June 2014.
The prize is awarded in the print / online and radio / television categories and is endowed with 2,500 euros each. Journalistic work that deals with the topic of Bechterew's disease and those affected by it is honored. The aim of this award is to raise public awareness and awareness of Bechterew's disease and to honor extraordinary journalistic commitment and excellent media contributions.
The awards for the contributions to the Media Prize 2014 are made by an independent jury consisting of:
- Jürgen Braun , Medical Director, Rheumatism Center Ruhr, Herne
- Anja Rech, Hubert Burda Media , Content Agency Medicine
- Edith Heitkämper, NDR television, Visite editor
- Rudolf Neumaier, Süddeutsche Zeitung , CvD editorial section of the Feuilleton
- Ulla Schmidt Member of the Bundestag, retired Federal Minister of Health D.
- Gudrun Schaich-Walch , Parl. State Secretary ret. D. (Federal Ministry of Health), spokeswoman for the working group on health and social security in the management group of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung , Berlin
- Erdoğan Atalay , screenwriter and television actor
- Ludwig Hammel, managing director of DVMB, ankylosing spondylitis patient
Prize winners 2006:
- Emily Paersch with “The Return of the Straight Look”, published on June 6, 2006 in the weekend magazine of the Rhein Main Presse
- Carola Welt + Team with "Inflammatory Back Pain", published on June 27, 2006 in the rbb broadcast "Quivive"
Prize winners 2011:
- Anna-Lena Roth with “The Resurrection” , published on October 17, 2010 on Spiegel online
- Antje Büll with “patient history Morbus Bechterew”, broadcast on March 31, April 7 and April 14, 2009 in the program “Visite” on NDR television
Members magazine
The membership magazine “Morbus-Bechterew-Journal”, which is published by patients, makes a contribution to the “competence” of patients and thus to coping with the disease. It appeared (at that time still under the name "Bechterew-Brief") for the first time in June 1980 immediately after the founding of the association and since then has been informing all DVMB members about new medical and psychological results every quarter (often by translating important articles from English or transferring scientific articles into Patient German), about news from social law and about experiences of fellow patients in living with the disease. Of course, he also reports on activities in the regional associations and groups.
Memberships
- German Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband
- Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Selbsthilfe eV
- German Rheuma-Liga Bundesverband eV
- Ankylosing Spondylitis International Federation (ASIF)