Photo credit: Studio040
A special Christmas party at Mooie Boules in Eindhoven on Monday evening. A special evening was organised for lonely elderly people, with music, dancing, and dinner. “I’m alone during Christmas”.
100 Seniors were welcomed to the party, organised by Stichting Met Hart (with a heart foundation) and Stichting Mooie Buurt (nice neighbourhood foundation). Guests enjoyed a three-course dinner and live music from men’s group SAS. They also had the chance to dance, play a game of pétanque, and received a gift at the end of the evening.
“I’ve been working for the organisation for a year and a half now, and at every outing, I hear from seniors about how much time they’re spending alone at home, or about their situation. And then you really realise that this is necessary”, Lisanne Spaargaren, organiser of the party, says.
“The goal is really to bring them together. To bring them out of their shells, to connect them with others. To experience something new”, Spaargaren says.
Loneliness
The atmosphere is good among the seniors at the Mooie Boules (nice stuff). “I’m normally alone at Christmas”, one of the visitors says. “I think it’s great that something like this is organised. It gives them something to look back on”.
It’s important to stay connected, guest Ben van Kemenade says. He lives, like the rest of the people at his table, in Wilgenhof nursing home. “This is one of my friends”, he says, pointing to his neighbour. “Three years ago, he was very lonely, locked in his room. I got him involved in bingo. And every time there was something to do, I went to get him. That’s how he got involved with people”, he says of his neighbour. “That way, you also get people involved a little. You shouldn’t sit back and relax. Now he’s become one of my buddies”.
Source: Studio040/Lucia van der Ven
Translated by: Bob
Dining and Cooking