I live in village, in central Europe and there is a woman who really knows a lot about elderly people in my village that usually live alone. She is in contact with a few teachers at primary school in my village and sometimes they organize meetings, so pupils come to visit elderly people living in my village.
I know that old people appreciate the time they can spend with the young. They want to share their memories and they want to show their childhood photos. I would like to see more opportunities like this.
I like the idea of coordinating such services through long-time residents who know a lot about the situations in the families and also how these elderly people live. Their knowledge is very important in this context and can really contribute to the realisation of such meetings.
I recommend supporting such organised teams of people in villages and towns. They could cooperate with primary schools, so children could visit these people as part of their social lessons or clubs for children who are interested in spending their free time with the elderly. Local councils could find out whether it is possible to organise such services and try to contact long-time residents and work together to communicate with the elderly. It is important to take advantage that certain generation is still with us and to thank them with our attention and kindness.
