Between 1959 and 1962, Helm studied agriculture and horticulture at a technical school in Dresden, and he became a state-certified farmer.

In August 1990, Helm, who had been a member of the DFD since 1959, switched his party affiliation to the Christian Democratic Union (East Germany).

From 1992 to 1994, Helm served as the CDU's parliamentary leader, and from 2002 until 2008, he was the chairman of the Seniors' Union [de] of the State of Brandenburg.

At some point, Helm later served on the board of trustees of the Brandenburg Main and State Stud Farm in Neustadt.

[3] High-ranking CDU officials, including Sebastian Steineke and Jan Redmann, paid tribute to Helm following his death, stating that he was a "fighting spirit that was also open to compromises".