Ninety students from Strabrecht College in Geldrop visit the Sint Anna care complex on Friday morning. It is a way to reduce the distance between generations and combat loneliness among the elderly around the holidays.
Regular bingo, Christmas music bingo, homemade cards and all kinds of other games. The students from Year Four MAVO chat, help and play games with the elderly. The elderly are pleased. “I like it a lot. You feel young again,” says one of the elderly in the care complex.
Loneliness
During the holidays, older people experience loneliness more often. “We also want them to see each other’s world a little bit,” says Anissa Slegers of Anna Ouderenzorg. “For the young people, the elderly do not just sit on a chair, but also enjoy doing things and show the elderly that it can be fun with young people.”
One of the students thinks it is a good initiative. “I think it’s very nice that the school organises it,” says someone. “It was a bit exciting at the beginning because of the large generation gap, but in the end, there was a lot of talk. I really like it, hopefully, the older people do too.
Generation gap
Not only does it benefit the elderly, but it is also an opportunity to show young people what it is like for the elderly. It should narrow the gap between generations. “You can,, of course, say a lot about how the elderly sit here and how it sometimes feels lonely,” says Saskia van den Hoogen, a teacher at Strabrecht College. “But to really experience it and start the conversation makes it real for the students.”
“I normally only look at it from my own perspective,” says a student. “I always spend Christmas together, but these elderly people less so. I would like to hear their experiences.”
It is a success for the elderly. “I think they should come more often to play games. I would like to chat with some of the students,” says a resident. “I think it’s very good that they are here. That they come and try to understand what we do here,” says another resident.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Beena Arunraj
