Close to people | Stories from Bethel
Painting is even better than goulash soup
The chalk shines off the paper in sunny colours. Thomas Taberski blurs the contours with his finger. Warm yellow and red merge into circles. Now blue is added. Like the sky in summer. The man, who has lived in a Bethel facility in Dortmund for many years, often paints faces. All of them have eyes as bright blue as his own. When Thomas Taberski looks in the mirror, he recognises himself, but he doesn't know how old he is or what his life has been like. Many people at the Bethel home for people with acquired brain injuries feel the same way. An accident or a stroke, for example, have changed everything. Abilities have been lost. And sometimes memories too.
"My brother says I'm 60," says Thomas Taberski. He doesn't ask himself who he was. He is happy at the moment. Especially when he's painting. His time in the attic of the Bethel centre is his finest hour. He cooks, plays and paints there. Everything that makes him happy. Thomas Taberski, who has been living with care since suffering from meningitis, likes cooking. Goulash is delicious. But art comes first. His works lie in a large folder. His pictures are characterised by a resolute colourfulness. They have even been exhibited in public.
Everything has changed since the illness. But for the man with the sky-blue eyes, who has no relationship or children, things are fine as they are. He usually mumbles to himself and weaves words into convoluted stories. Sometimes he looks up and laughs. He rests within himself. His world is friendly, and so is he.
Text: Heike Lepkojis | Photos: Christian Weische
This story simply told
Thomas Taberski had meningitis. He has been receiving care since his illness. The 60-year-old lives in a Bethel facility for people with acquired brain injuries in Dortmund. He likes to paint - especially with bright colours. Some of his paintings have even been exhibited in public.
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44263 Dortmund
Offer & services
The residential programme is aimed at people who have suffered brain damage as a result of a stroke, heart attack, accident or cerebral haemorrhage and who can make progress in their development and improve their quality of life through targeted support. This includes, among other things, day organisation, support for participation in working life and practical life training.
