We are opening a Community Centre for the Elderly in Paraisópolis

As we mentioned earlier in the 2019 Retrospective published a few days ago, we are opening a Community Centre for the Elderly in Paraisópolis! Just like the Butantã centre, this one will also operate in partnership with Cultura Inglesa , which has opened a school in the area to provide free English lessons to local residents.

How the Community Centre works for the Elderly in Paraisópolis

We will begin with two weekly workshops on memory and crafts. Both will take place on Friday mornings and will be preceded by breakfast.

We will have 30 places in each workshop, totalling 60 older people taking part in our project throughout the first half of the year. Only those living in the community will be able to enrol, and we will give priority to those in the most vulnerable situations.

First steps

In January, we began publicising our project for older people in Paraisópolis. We visited the Residents’ Association, the Basic Health Centres (UBS) and other services catering to older people. We also put up some posters around the area inviting interested parties to a discussion group.

This discussion took place on the last On a Friday in January, we used the occasion to introduce ourselves to everyone. We then took the opportunity to talk about the project and give a demonstration of the ‘Memory and Craft’ workshop. Professor Rosane explained the benefits of the activity, which go far beyond memory. It also helps with motor coordination, cognition and creativity, and the items produced can become a source of income for the participants.

The items, incidentally, were a great success. The teacher brought along some examples of what can be made over the course of the term – costume jewellery, notebooks, bags, toys and decorative items – and really won everyone over. The best part is that everything is made from recyclable materials that can be found at home.

To round off the activity, she suggested a hands-on session. Using a toilet roll, a sheet of A4 paper, scissors and glue, each participant was asked to make a flower. Despite some initial difficulties, everyone got stuck in and created a beautiful garden! Take a look at the results:

Continuation of the project

This project is still at the pilot stage and will take place in the first half of the year. We will use it to visit Paraisópolis and get to know the area. We also want to understand the needs of its population aged 60 and over in order to plan our next steps.

Just We’ve now got this idea off the ground thanks to the support of an FBB partner, to whom we are very grateful! After hearing our proposal to bring the CCI to Paraisópolis, he believed in the project and decided to support us.

We’re confident that the Community Centre for Older People in Paraisópolis will be a success. And we’re very keen to seek out new partners who’d like to support us in maintaining and expanding it.

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