A personal portrait by a real artist.
That’s one of the many wishes of lonely older people. They reside in Archipel’s care homes in Eindhoven. For one such resident, that wish came true. “I wouldn’t be able to do that,” says Christien Does.
Fulfilling this wish is part of an Archipel and Samen voor Eindhoven (Together for Eindhoven) project. This organisation connects companies and social groups. The seniors hung wish cards on a tree. In the end, the two organisations granted 23 wishes.
Loneliness
The project intends to counteract loneliness in these difficult times. “People are very lonely. By giving them attention, we can reduce that. They have very simple wishes,” says Maaike de Jonge, of Samen voor Eindhoven.
“They want to take a walk together or going to the market. The elderly want to be among people again. They need vitamin A, with the A for attention.”
Artist Antoine de Rooij was happy to fulfil Mrs Does’ wish. “It’s better to give than receive, I always say. It’s nice to contribute something, to be able to offer a bit of cheerfulness or pleasure”.
And an older lady also offers extra challenge, he thinks. “An 18-year-old girl has few wrinkles. You can put capture that easily. I had to put in more effort for this.”
Source: www.studio040.nl
Translated by: Bob
