Seniors and children all together in VaradiaProject highly innovative
The ”Grandparents and Grandchildren Castle”
The basic concept (as also reported by Pope Francis) is that we deal with the loneliness of the elderly and the fragility of children. Both of them are very delicate issues in Romania as the elderly and the children are often abandoned by adults who are going abroad to look for work.
Try to imagine a nursing home where also children "go for a stroll" (obviously with rules) on the knees of the elderly!
We will use a magnificent building (as a Castle) in the centre of the country for 20 years and in partnership with the Municipality.
In this residence, Baron Baici carried out social activities, leaving an excellent oral memory of himself. It almost seems to be his spiritual heirs.
Varadia is a small town of about 1,618 inhabitants, located in the Caraş-Severin district, in the historical region of Banato, about 2 hours drive from Timişoara.
The municipality consists of two towns, Varadia and Mercina, administered by the homonymous municipality of Varadia. Varadia registers about 306 minors, over 20% of the population. Many of them do not attend school whether because of lack of the means of transport or because they are involved by their parents in the work aimed at subsistence (for example grazing, agricultural work).
Among the elderly, diseases such as diabetes, heart and circulatory problems are widespread that could be kept under control simply by ensuring constant monitoring of physiological parameters and supervision of therapies.
Unfortunately, the elderly rarely go to the hospital facilities, for reasons such as the uncommon habit in resorting to health services, the objective difficulties in reaching the nearest hospitals (the lack of the means of transport), the lacking awareness of the constant monitoring of their conditions and different food habits could improve their quality of life.
There are also cases of the elderly who are in serious conditions, often bedridden. In this case, the family members take care of them, but they rarely have the responsibility for the care of the elderly, as they should.
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Project goal
To create a day-care centre for young and elderly people, aware of the fact that the two ages can become mutual support and help. The day-care centre will provide public health services to young and elderly people ensuring:
a) medical exams on regular basis carried out by qualified medical and paramedic personnel, Romanian and European (general medicine visits, dental visits with mobile laboratory);
b) a social place both specific by age group and all together (the innovative aspect of the project is to overcome the traditional dividing barriers between elderly and young people by creating spaces for shared activities);
c) biannual meetings of general medical information on topics such as: correct nutrition and prevention of the most common diseases.
Social workers from the municipality of Varadia (therefore local) and volunteers from various professional backgrounds (including foreigners) will work in the day-care centre. -
Recipients
Children and young people aged from 4 to 18 and the elderly aged over 60
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Project managers
The project will be managed, first of all, by the Association “Il Giocattolo” which can be supported, with the agreement of the Italian Association “GER Onlus” (www.geronlus.org)
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Why is the project highly innovative?
Because the project allows the meeting between children/young people and the elderly permitting the former to benefit from the experience and supervision of the elderly and the latter to be in contact with “youth energy“, to have the opportunity to offer their own life experience and feeling useful and valued in their adult function.
Therefore, it is a somewhat pioneering project aims to redevelop the social fabric of Varadia through a transversal intervention of significant and innovative psychological and social profile.