This practice is focus to the EDERLY POPULATION
Promote and improve the level of readinge in groups of elderly people, in these moments of social isolation, through the implementation of a workshop of specific activities to stimulate attention, creativity, imagination, abstract thoughts, critic sense, new vocabulary, new expressions, concentration.
Mainly to blow up the isolation and the sence of loneliness due to the pandemic.
Spain is one of the ageing countries in Europe, its expected lifetime increases every year.
In Spain gets attention the dates of elderly in Castilla y León, and specially in the province o León. León has a raised percent of people who are more than 65, this rate is higher in rural areas.
One of the challenges that our occidental society has been proposing since the first of XX century is the importance of elderly people. The fall down of the birth rate and the higher life expectancy has taken many elderly people in our territories.
Because of this situation, from the Service of Animación del CEAS our first objective is traying to “improve active ageing of elder people in rural areas both physically, cognitively, psychologically, and socially, paying special attention to cognitive stimulation.
READING is an important instrument of personal growth, moreover it is a instrument of social growth. Reading activity stimulates IMAGINATION, CREATIVE THOUGHTS, ABSTRACT REASONING, CRITICAL THOUGHTS, focusing to the world around us and towards oneself, reading is also an inexcusable source of pleasure.
As Doris Gicherman (2016) says, TO READ involves active participation of the mind, contributes to the development of IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY, a better VOCABULARY and a better WRITING LANGUAGE. From a psychological point of view, it helps us to appreciate better the world , facilitates the INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, AFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT, MORAL and SPIRITUAL…
Also in favor of READING, it should be pointed out, due to the READING COMPRENHENSION, we are able to develop: attention, and CONCENTRATION.
With this activity, the participants will be able to read SHORT STORIES and easy texts AND MAKE ACTIVITIES that I have programmed for them. these activities help them to exercise their MEMORY among many other abilities.
AT period of COVID19, when to perform it in person was impossible, it was done individually. (this situation it could be copied in situations of old people who has not movility or who has difficulties to walk).
On one hand LECTURE can act as an agent of OCUPACIONAL THERAPY, since it involves efforts of the intellect and thus, the elderly will activate their MIND and IMAGINATION, away from pessimistic thoughts.
On the other hand, many of these older adults are grandparents and spend some time taking care of their grandchildren, so they can be encouraged to read and share these moments, thus becoming an INTERGENERATIONAL project.
The beneficiaries are elderly men a women living in rural areas located at the follow municipalities: Santa María del Páamo y Zuáres del Pármo. All of them are Muncipalities less than 20.000 habitants.
Social institutions are Diputación of León and the different municipalities of the territorial demarcation of the CEAS
This intervention with older adults is considered a subproject that is included in the Active Ageing Project: “Knowing Living to Prevent-2021”.
The guiding thread has been the 23 rd of APRIL, INTERNATIONAL book day. Due to the situation motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it will not be possible to develop this activity face-to-face as a group, therefore it will be an individual job, so we continue to work from home.
As for the TECHNICAL ASPECTS, that small and simple activity book is used, prepared by the Technician in Community Asistence and designed for our older participants, in which are included readings, whose texts are brief, for example: fabulae, stories, poems, fragments of novels, poetry, sayings and even songs… whose contents and themes are simple and evoke to them memories of their past live.
Since this work on Active Ageing with the groups began in 2015 at CEAS, it is considered that the practice has been successful as it continues over time and it is the participants who express their continuity and satisfaction.
It is considered that the results have been very positive as shown by the interest shown, the demand, the participation, the desire to learn and ask for explanations in any doubt.
All this has helped to ensure continuity of the project over time, maintaining the working groups and the implementation periods of the project, which facilitates its smooth functioning.
There has been no obstacle of any kind. This good practice had to be adapted to the situation caused by COVID-19 and there was no problem.
Due to the good acceptance, participation, demand, interest, etc., it is considered necessary to give continuity to the work being developed and continue to carry out projects of cognitive stimulation with senior.
In order for good practice to be sustainable, it must have a number of features, including:
As stated above, the project does not involve expenditure as it is implemented by the Community Animator of CEAS.
The low material costs associated with the implementation of the project are paid by the municipalities where the project is carried out and the travel of the professional is paid by the institution to which it belongs, Diputación de León.
This good practice could be replicated in any other area of action to do so would require good dissemination, contact with municipality, local and association leaders. Mainly contact with senior people associations with which meetings would be held to explain the project, request their collaboration and encourage participation.
Working with elderly people has always been very rewarding for me. It is a collective that accepts the proposals offered to them without any objection, always with good availability and expressing their gratitude. The results have always been satisfactory. All this gives encouragement to continue the projects initiated with this group of people.
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