The elderly of the nursing home in the neighborhood, the elderly neighbor in the street or just their own grandparents: they can all use some company. That is why the Felini Foundation, a foundation that connects generations, contacted us to organize something fun together during the Week against Loneliness at the beginning of October. We are going to make flower arrangements! Several Dutch and foreign flower growers support this initiative by making the flowers and (sustainable!) materials available free of charge.
One against Loneliness
Just like the Felini Foundation, Partou is affiliated to the coalition One against Loneliness, an initiative of the Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sport. In this way we can help to make the elderly feel less lonely. We do this, among other things, by bringing young and old together. Because young or old; friends make your life more fun. And we wish that for everyone!
"Generations can learn a lot from each other," says Charles Lansdorp of the Felini Foundation. "The older generation has knowledge and experience and can tell beautiful stories, the younger generation, on the other hand, brings life to the brewery." At Partou, our mission is to take generations further, so this collaboration fits in perfectly with that.
"Children love to be creative and the elderly are very happy with flowers, especially if the flower arrangement is made by a child. Therefore the flower workshops that we organize for young and old are always a great success," says Charles.
Endearing interaction
The residents of residential care group Flora, located at the Floriade in Almere, have the scoop. As a preview of the Week against Loneliness, they get a visit from Partou Klipgriend in Almere. Both the children and the elderly are very much looking forward to it! Highly concentrated the children get to work to make something beautiful together. "To see those glowing faces," says Mrs Liebrand (85), "it’s very nice that they are here."
The casual and endearing interaction between young and old is wonderful to see and hear. "Do you like it here?" asks Esmee (9). "And do you want another flower? It looks beautiful what you are making."
Joëlle (8) and Mr Zandbergen also have a special connection. "It's so nice that she helps me," he says. Together they look at which flowers fit together the most beautifully and whether the piece is full enough. "I really enjoy helping you. At first I found it a bit exciting, because I didn't know you yet. But after that it got better and better!" says Joëlle. Mr. Zandbergen agrees with her: "It went well, didn't it?" Joëlle nods proudly. "You can keep the flower piece and put it in a nice place."
The end result is beautiful, all flower arrangements have worked out well and the residents can take them with them to brighten up their rooms. The supervisors of the Flora residential group are also pleased with the children’s visit , because it has visibly done well for the elderly. "Children are so smart at this young age already, don’t you think?" concludes Mrs Liebrand, with a big smile on her face.
The Week against Loneliness takes place from 3 to 7 October and many more flower arrangements will be made at various Partou locations to surprise the elderly. Furthermore, many more activities are organized around this theme throughout the year.