IFS-EMMAUS: CELEBRATED INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS THROUGH VARIOUS ACTIVITIES

Through several of its projects, IFS-EMMAUS provides unconditional support to persons of the third age. With a wide range of activities, we try to create a sense of security for these people with a circled action which will help them not to feel rejected and be part of the social community, without lacking for anything, nor even for some kind of attention which is most important for them.

In addition, the Reception Center “Duje”, where we have a significant number of elderly people among beneficiaries, yesterday we visited our other beneficiaries with special gifts. Beneficiaries of the project “Love for Mothers of Srebrenica” and the project “Services in the community for the Elderly population” show special pleasure due to our visit.

The attention, love and support that was given to them every day on the field cannot replace any gift, although they feel happy that we in this way remind them that we really care about them.

That every life is a special encyclopedia, made of a combination of experiences, information and memories that color everyday life with the colors of hope, peace and wisdom confirmed yesterday’s gathering with beneficiaries of the third age in premises for occupational therapy at the Reception Center” Duje”.

The gathering was organized in order to mark the International Day of Older Persons through a thematically designed workshop based on the exchanging of experiences of elderly beneficiaries, who actively participated in the discussion moderated by employees of the Center (social pedagogue, social worker, psychologist, pedagogue-psychologist).

We asked them about the thing they see in the reflection of the mirror in their hands, at one point, before verbal answer we received completely spontaneous sincere non-verbal answer that was shaped into a shy smile, automatic run of hand throught their hair, adjustment of the hat or even a sympathetic expression of wonderness.

Inevitable symbols of aging were mentioned by almost everyone, especially amphasizing their gray hair, wrinkles on their face, lack of some teeth, dark circles under their eyes… but still most of them managed to find the old himself, from a younger age. There were those who see their current condition and appearance better than before, followed by the sentence: “How old I am, I still look good!”

Advices, actually the experience that today’s beneficiaries wanted to share with the younger generations, were written in the form of posters, and some of them that stood out were focused on respecting and honoring parents, keeping their own mental health with less worries, avoiding vices. Most of them put emphasis on education and starting a family on time.

How would the socializing look like without a snack? But an even better question is what kind of birthday is it without a cake? In order to follow all earlier mentioned things, the employees of the Center made sure to prepare a birthday cake for two beneficiaries, who celebrated “their” day together with other beneficiaries of the third age.

And that’s how we function at IFS-EMMAUS… for years. Successfully? We sure do… such events witness about the fullfilling our souls and give us energy for new endeavors so that we could beautify everydays life for these people, who are according to the calendar old, but young at souls.

The International Day of Older Persons was proclaimed General Assembly by the United Nations on 14 December 1990 by Resolution 45/106, in order to emphasize the importance of providing a living environment that can be adapted to the needs and abilities of the persons of the third age.