As people get older, they experience many major life changes, including retirement, loss of loved ones, and the physical ailments associated with aging. These changes invade their lives, causing stress and leading to depression. And it does not matter whether this has affected us ourselves, or whether we, still young and full of energy, were depressed by our elderly parents. We must do our best to keep depression out of our daily lives or into the lives of those we love.

Happy aging is much more than being able to stay physically fit. This is the preservation of purposefulness and interest in life. Imagine, maybe old age is a joy! Of course, the components of healthy aging can be different for everyone, but the common factors will always be a good psycho-emotional state and the ability to cope with stress. After all, it's not a secret for anyone that a positive attitude and inner harmony are the key to a happy existence at any age. Knowing the basic formulas for healthy aging, you can help yourself or loved ones live a full life.

Let's get rid of misconceptions and myths!

Fighting any change is always difficult, no matter how old you are. For older people, the main problem is the huge amount of change that is snowballing. This is the loss of a career, health, friends, life partner and even your independence. Naturally, all this is hard to bear. But at any age, it is joy that can mitigate the severity of loss. To balance the feeling of loss with the positive components of life - this is the main commandment of the "formula" of joyful old age and aging.

What is a happy "autumn of life"? First of all, it is the continuation of physical and social activity and the ability to adapt to change. Unfortunately, for many, the thought of old age brings anxiety and fear. “How will I take care of myself? What if I lose my spouse? What will happen to me? - it is precisely such unhappy reflections that almost always disturb the elderly. However, many of these concerns stem from common misconceptions about aging that are often overblown or simply not true. The truth is that you are much stronger and more resilient than you think. Let's try to debunk the myths about how weak old age is with concrete facts - we will prove that it can be happy.

Old age means poor health, often even disability. This is not at all necessary. Of course, there are some diseases that are more common in later years. However, old age does not mean that you automatically become decrepit or forced into a wheelchair. Many older people continue to maintain excellent health. Preventive measures such as proper nutrition, exercise, active lifestyle and stress management will help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases and the associated deterioration in the quality of later life.

Memory loss is an inevitable part of aging. Indeed, age leaves a certain imprint on human brain activity. If you are over thirty years old, then you probably noticed that you no longer memorize as easily as before. However, significant memory loss is not an inevitable result of aging. You can strengthen it at any age, and brain training exercises are not so difficult. You can solve crosswords or enjoy puzzles, while trying to gradually complicate tasks. Do something new every day, whether you take a new route to the grocery store or brush your teeth with the other hand. The more you strain your brain, the more benefits you will get.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. One of the most devastating myths about what old age is about the impossibility of trying something unknown after a certain age, and this leads to a gradual drop out of life. Quite the opposite! Psychologists do not advise perceiving old age as a time of decline and regression.

Having studied the cognitive abilities of people between the ages of sixty and ninety, experts came to the conclusion that they can not only retain existing skills and knowledge, but also successfully master and develop new ones. It turns out that in old age, the previous rich experience does a lot for us. It is he who is responsible for acquiring new knowledge. Older people are just as capable of learning new things and thriving in unfamiliar environments as young people. If you believe in yourself, then your conviction and firmness set the stage for positive changes in your life. And this is regardless of age!

How to feel young and live life to the fullest?

The key ingredient in the recipe "How to make old age happy?" is the ability to find meaning and joy. As we age, our lives will definitely change, and we will lose what has so far occupied a large part of it. For example, you will have to leave your favorite job or the children will go far from their home. But that doesn't mean you have to stop moving forward. If you don't know where to start your new "autumn" chapter yet, try one of the following, for example:

• think about your old hobby, for which there was not enough time before, and take your favorite thing seriously;
• spend more time with your grandchildren or with your pet, because sincerely and selflessly loving creatures will infect you with their energy and love of life;
• learn something new for yourself: the game on musical instrument, a foreign language, learn to work on a computer;
• take part in public life: attend city events, become an active member of the women's council;
• join any club of interest;
• take a weekend trip to a place you've never been before;
• spend more time in nature: take a walk in the park, enjoy the picturesque view;
• join the art: visit a museum, go to a concert or performance.

The possibilities are endless. It is important to choose what will be the most interesting for you and bring joy. If you find time for spiritual growth, there will be no room left in your soul for a aching emptiness, which means that approaching old age will not frighten you with its inevitability. Later life can be full of other exciting events, if you only want it.

How to remain an active member of society?

One of the most serious problems of older people is isolation and loss of connection with society. As you get older, it becomes more and more difficult to maintain relationships with others at the same level, even for those who have previously been active. social life. Retirement, the death of friends and loved ones - all this narrows the space for communication. And the older you get, the more people and relationships you lose. In this situation, it is very important to remain open to new connections. You need to force yourself to understand that loneliness and isolation can pose a real threat to your well-being. The good news is that there are many ways to stay connected with the world despite old age.

1. Maintain constant communication with friends and family. Spend more time with people you like and who create an optimistic mood for you by generously sharing positivity. Perhaps your neighbor will turn out to be such a person, and you can take a walk with her in a nearby park. Indulge in dinner with an old friend to celebrate a shared anniversary, or go shopping with your children and grandchildren. Even if you're far apart, keep in touch often by phone or email to keep your relationship strong.
2. Make an effort to make new friends. When you lose people from your usual circle, it is very important that other connections appear so that your space for communication does not narrow. Try to be friends with people who are much younger than you. Friends who are younger in age will enliven your world and help you look at life with a fresh look.
3. Take the time to connect with at least one person every day. Phone or email contact cannot be a complete substitute for a live conversation with people. Regular face-to-face communication is one of the most important joys in old age, which will help you protect yourself from depression and stay positive person despite old age.
4. Join a support group for sick people. If you are yourself or your close person able to adapt their lives to any serious chronic disease, help with advice and your own example to cope with the problems of other people suffering from this disease.

Resist change with dignity

Age and advancing years lead to periods of joy and stress. And the realities of modern life do not indulge even young and strong-willed people. Therefore, the approaching old age indicates that right now it is important to increase your resistance to stress and learn how to find healthy ways problem solution. This will help you enter a mature age of life with dignity, and you will be able to be among those many people to whom the approaching "autumn of life" will smile. sunny days and give a real "Indian summer".

Be grateful for every new day. Learn to welcome sunrises with joy and see off sunsets without sadness. Undoubtedly, the longer we live, the more we lose. But the more we lose, the more precious life becomes! When you stop taking it for granted, you will learn to appreciate it even more and enjoy what you have.

Allow yourself to express strong feelings. When you have difficult moments and strong emotions overcome, you may find it necessary to keep them in yourself. It seems to many that a surge of feelings, tears are the lot of weak people. But carefully hidden experiences can lead to severe depression. Don't keep your feelings to yourself, find a way to express them. This can be done, for example, by speaking out to a loved one or by making an entry in a personal diary.

Accept what you cannot change and try to look at it from a different angle. Many things in life are out of our control. Instead of focusing on them, focus on things that are within your control. And trouble must be taken with dignity and a certain amount of humor. This principle can also be used to meet the coming old age without fear and depression.

Look for the good in the bad. As the saying goes, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." When faced with major challenges, try looking at them as an opportunity for personal growth. If your own actions led you to a problem, reflect on them and learn from your own mistakes, because age and old age cannot be an obstacle to objective and correct conclusions.

Don't hide from difficult problems. The position of the ostrich has never helped anyone. Of course, if the problem seems too big, sometimes it's easier to "hide it under the carpet." But such ignoring does not give you the opportunity to get rid of it, it only allows your anxieties and stress to be born. But old age is not best time for this. Just take one small step at a time to solve the problem. And albeit gradually, but you can go a long way to strengthening your own confidence and understanding that you are not powerless.

What do opinion polls and psychological studies say?

Since old age is an integral life stage on the path of every person, the interest in how happy she can be has been worrying society for a long time. Therefore, it is understandable why sociologists, psychologists and gerontologists devote much time and effort to answering this burning question. And here are the conclusions they came to. Undoubtedly, a happy old age is not a myth, but a reality. But this is how those people speak about their feelings who have managed to maintain a craving for updating their usual views and interests, and are also ready to rethink their previous life experience, adapting it to new realities.

All old people, of course, feel nostalgic for the irrevocably gone youth. But some of them senselessly grieve about her, while others carefully leaf through the pages of their memory, extracting from it joyful moments and happy experiences that give inspiration and joy. Those of us who lead an active life in the present and do not give up plans for the near future have a simpler and calmer attitude towards their advanced age.

Thus, older people have the opportunity to find harmony within themselves and subsequently form the main basis that allows them to age happily. It lies in true wisdom, which comes only with age and gives us the opportunity to treat life contemplatively, philosophically perceiving the idea that life is not eternal.

Undoubtedly great importance in accepting one's own old age and in the right attitude towards it, the type of personality a person belongs to also has. Melancholic people tend to see in old age a tragedy that crosses out all life plans. People of a phlegmatic warehouse, perhaps, will not see a reason for torment in the coming old age, because they are used to perceiving what is happening in their own manner, that is, calmly and without unnecessary emotions.

Cholerics, who always give vent to their violent feelings, can look for extreme ones and fight with the whole world because they were suddenly given a seat in transport with the words: “Grandma, sit down! Is it hard for you to stand? Sanguine people, which is quite expected, will generally perceive retirement due to age with enthusiasm. No wonder, because this will save them from the tedious need to go to work every day, when there are many other interesting things around, you can, for example, read a new detective novel or embroider a panel.

That is why for some, old age, the death of loved ones, a sense of their own physical weakness or inattention on the part of relatives can become a reason for depression, or even neurosis. And stronger personalities with vitality, able to adequately assess reality and skillfully adapt to it, do not lose self-respect and look philosophically at what they cannot change.

Many scientists are also concerned about the fact that a good physical shape, a favorable family background and a comfortable life do not at all guarantee a person the opportunity to calmly accept his own aging. After all, it often happens that the absence of most of these factors does not at all prevent older people from living in harmony with their advanced age. What secrets do these, in their own way happy, old people have?

Experts have found the answer to such a difficult question. In addition to general psychotypes, successful adaptation to the “autumn of life” also depends on how a person has been formed over the years, under the influence of what circumstances his character has developed, which formed the basis of his spiritual values ​​and internal attitudes. Scientists have come to the conclusion that it is easier for creative people who do not think of their life without a favorite thing to adapt to old age.

It's not just about artists, actors or writers. No, the same teachers may well be called creative people if they are passionate about their profession and, when they retire, try to continue their favorite business, for example, taking private lessons, or take an active part in the life of their own grandchildren, developing them and educating them. As a result, older people with such a position in life retain the sharpness of mind and emotional qualities, which allows them to perceive their age more calmly.

Agree, a successful person who has taken place in his professional life, who has experience of intense and vivid experiences, deterioration in health and other problems associated with aging, will perceive with constructiveness, understanding and patience. But the loser, who is accustomed to blaming everyone around except himself for his misfortunes, will become a gloomy grump with age, capable of spoiling a lot of blood for loved ones. Therefore, for happiness in old age, you need to be able to realize yourself in your younger years.

It must be said that with the onset of old age, people often fall into two extremes. In the first case, an aging person tries in every possible way to reject what is happening. This can be expressed in increased sexual activity or vigorous activity in the household, clothing style and tastes. The danger of the second extreme is that a healthy enough old man with the realization of his age, he suddenly begins to look for signs of imaginary illnesses. If this is a woman, she is constantly in a decadent mood, and reacts to all comments with the phrase: “What do you want from an old woman?”, thereby bringing a lot of grief to loved ones.

In the first case, time and patience will help, and in order to cope with the second extreme, it is best to get your elderly relatives involved in a new business, for example, taking care of grandchildren. Take care of changing the interior together in an apartment or in a country house, start equipping and planting a garden plot, finally get a dog. It doesn't matter what kind of business you come up with - the main thing is that it is of interest to native person and managed to distract him from sad thoughts.

Time runs inexorably, our life smoothly flows from childhood to youth, youth turns into maturity, and then old age is just around the corner. Such is the highest law of existence, to which everything around is subject. Unfortunately, we cannot stop the passage of time, but we are able to manage the quality of life. We are the masters of our destiny, and it is up to us to decide whether we will be happy in old age.

Talk 0

Until April 15, the Easter Gift festival will last in the capital. Charitable organizations are taking an active part in it this year. The site spoke with Alla Romanovskaya, a representative of the Old Age for Joy Foundation, and learned how ordinary Muscovites can help lonely elderly people.

The Joy of Old Age Foundation has been in existence since 2007. Initially, it was a volunteer community of people who decided to help lonely pensioners in nursing homes throughout Russia. In 2011, a charitable foundation grew out of the movement. Now, under his patronage there are about 200 institutions in more than 20 regions of the country.

Every week, the foundation's volunteers go to nursing homes and visit their wards, raise funds to buy medicines, equipment, organize repairs and holidays. They do everything so that the elderly do not feel lonely. Alla Romanovskaya, a representative of the Old Age for Joy foundation, spoke about the work of the foundation, plans for the festival and the next year, as well as the fact that each of us has a desire to do good.

Speaking and showing

— The Joy of Old Age Foundation is a participant in the Easter Gift festival, what do you have planned?

“In general, we are participating in city events not for the first time. The “Easter gift” for us is an opportunity to tell more about helping the elderly, to attract more people to our work. Our foundation will work at the festival venues for two days: on April 11 on Profsoyuznaya Street, and on April 13 on Revolution Square.

It will be possible to bring things to the stand for grandparents living in nursing homes (the list can be viewed on the website). It can be new T-shirts for grandfathers, new robes for grandmothers, soft sweets (marshmallows, marshmallows, diabetic sweets), art supplies. Actually, it will be possible to engage in creativity right on the site: we will hold master classes in painting eggs, decoupage. And everything that our visitors do during the festival, we will then pass on to our elderly wards.

In general, such festivals are important for people to understand exactly how they can help. Each of us has a desire to share our warmth, but people do not know how to help. And such events, of course, provide an opportunity to convey to a person who has not encountered charity and has not participated in it, the idea that it is possible to help and it is not difficult.

—Do Muscovites support charity events?

We hope that many people will respond. This is actually the easiest way to help, when you do not spend a lot of money, but at the same time share your warmth. It's attention first. Elderly people often suffer from the fact that their relatives do not always have enough time for them, and those who do not have relatives generally seem to be on the outskirts.

Therefore, attention to them, even such a simple one, is especially important. Not everyone can pack up and go to a nursing home, but a postcard with a kind word will reach an elderly person, and he will understand that it is important that someone thought of him and gave him a gift. And of course, we hope that we can continue to attract people to help the fund.

Natural desire to help

— How did the idea of ​​creating a volunteer movement working with the elderly come about?

“Our director Elizaveta Oleskina at some point was on a folklore expedition in one of the regions, wandered into a nursing home, and a completely natural desire to help appeared. We began to unite around us people who are also not indifferent.

But in general, there are quite a few funds to help elderly lonely people, this help is highly specialized. About 80 percent of people who want to help someone in general want to help children, and the remaining 20 percent are considering helping the disabled and the elderly. That is, our direction is not very popular, and we are pioneers in it: we do not have very many colleagues, there are no big ones at all, so we conduct most of our activities through trial and error, accumulating experience.

The foundation faces a difficult task - to change public opinion. We understand that by building a system of assistance to the elderly, we care about our future. Every person has the right to a decent old age, and I want the country to have a system that is based on the needs of a person.

- In addition to participating in the Easter Gift festival, you are actively working with the city, how is this cooperation built?

- Now we have launched activities in Moscow and are very pleased to cooperate. For example, we received a grant from the Public Relations Committee for the creation of a volunteer center for helping the elderly. As part of this grant, we organize regular seminars where we tell how to help the elderly. We regularly visit Moscow boarding schools, social protection institutions, work with schoolchildren, students, spend "hours of kindness", telling students how to help people.

Plus, we recently developed and launched a mobile application. With its help, you can learn about the work of the foundation, about trips, how you can visit the elderly and, of course, support our foundation by making a donation.

Global system with a personal touch

— Charitable organizations are constantly developing, and what are your foundation's plans for the near future?

- Now we are reaching a new level - we are creating a system of long-term care for an elderly person as part of a federal initiative. The Joy of Old Age Foundation is actively involved in the methodological and practical part of the project. Now we are pooling the resources of society and the state to improve the quality of life of older people who need help.

Thanks to this system, the needs of the elderly person will be taken into account in order to provide him with further assistance. If you explain with examples, now a person can either end up in a nursing home, where he will receive round-the-clock support, or a social worker will come to him twice a week for an hour and a half. There is no middle option. But not everyone needs round-the-clock support if one or two social worker visits a week is not enough. In this case, you can, for example, organize the following: the nurse will come for an hour or three, but every day. And it will be much more beneficial for the state, because it will not require comprehensive support for a person, as in a nursing home, and at the same time it will be easier for him to stay at home, in a familiar environment.

Once in a nursing home, a person usually feels abandoned and useless. Even under the supervision of doctors, being in the company of roommates, older people feel loneliness acutely. The staff sometimes does not have enough time to navigate the individual characteristics of the residents of the boarding school and pay due attention to each. It often happens that people who are unable to move without outside help, have not been outdoors for years. Most of the day the inhabitants of boarding houses are left to their own devices, and the choice of activities is very limited. Therefore, it is important to come to the elderly, giving them precious attention, care and communication.

The trips are organized by the charitable foundations "Sofia", "Old Age in Joy". If you have a dog, you can become part of the Not Just Dogs PET team of therapists and bring joy to lonely people with your pet.

People who spend the rest of their lives in social institutions are in dire need of new experiences. You can become a guide for them in a large and beautiful world behind the walls of a nursing home. It is not so important what exactly you want to please them with: a musical number, a theatrical performance, a game of chess or an educational activity, the main thing is your sincere desire, which they will definitely feel. So, you can take part in the preparation of the holidays or help with your skills as a designer, hairdresser, photographer or lawyer.

Among the many institutions in which the elderly live, there are comfortable boarding schools with fresh repairs and a cozy atmosphere. However, more often the condition of the premises in which the elderly spend their lonely days leaves much to be desired. To make them a little more comfortable, caring activists help boarding schools with repairs and landscaping, and at the same time communicate with their residents. You can take part in fundraising for the improvement or go on a long trip to one of the volunteer camps.

If you talk to old people about their values, they are more likely to pull letters and photographs from their treasuries. The last of them were probably obtained in the distant past, and new ones, unfortunately, cannot be expected. Communication with the once close people was cut off, which is why they ended up here. You can become a real friend for a lonely pensioner, even if you live on the other side of the Earth. How long have you been writing paper letters? And it's one of the most simple ways bring joy to the elderly. Start a chat and soon you'll be looking forward to hearing from your new friend.

City and regional institutions for the elderly receive a limited amount of funds for the purchase of medical supplies and hygiene items. In this regard, only the most necessary is purchased - inexpensive medicines. Hygiene products and other things necessary for an elderly person are supplied to boarding schools only thanks to charitable foundations. You can provide all possible assistance: the Sophia Foundation, the Joy of Old Age and the project Not Just Dogs are responsible for receiving essential items and raising funds for their purchase.

Everyone wants to enjoy the holidays: both children and adults. For older people left without the care of relatives and friends, this is especially difficult. They also need to read beautiful postcard words of congratulations and receive their gift sent for them by a specific, caring person. It is in your power to make a small miracle and give a lonely person a piece of your warmth. This gesture will be really long-awaited for someone and will leave joyful memories of the past holiday. You can send a card to a birthday person or collect a gift set. The website of the Joy of Old Age Foundation lists things that will be useful for the elderly.

If you do not have enough time to be directly involved in the lives of lonely old people, you can provide financial assistance to one of the charities that deal with the problems of the elderly:

Other foundations also support the elderly. Find out about opportunities to help on the websites of organizations:

"Faith" - a fund to help hospices and their patients. The founders of the organization are convinced that if a person cannot be cured, this does not mean that he cannot be helped.

"Heart to Heart" is a charitable foundation that provides assistance to various segments of the population, including pensioners who are in the care of the state, veterans and everyone who needs help.

Tradition is a charitable foundation that raises funds and helps those in need. Each fundraiser is held for specific assistance programs, there are 9 in total.

"Joint" - they organize creative classes in day centers, in the "Home Care" program they help the elderly with housekeeping, organize hot meals and distribute food packages, carry out medical programs, conduct "Memory Preservation" classes, provide emergency assistance help keep you warm in winter.

"Orbi" - help patients who have had a stroke and their relatives. Volunteers are needed to help around the house, paperwork, escort on walks and events. The foundation will benefit directly from legal, transport assistance, services in the field of IT, translation of texts and design. We need those who will conduct master classes. Music groups and performers are constantly required.

"Fair Help" - a public organization created by Dr. Lisa. They provide assistance to seriously ill, dying patients and their families, help the homeless. You can make a donation directly on the site or see the lists of necessary things in the "Needs of our wards" section.

"Need help" - here you can even be a volunteer just online. Fill out an application on the site, they will teach you everything. Or make a one-time or monthly donation from 100 rubles.

"Alive" - ​​a fund to help adults aged 18 to 60 years. Help people with serious illnesses.

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Fund "Old Age in Joy". Its history began in 2006, when a freshman philologist named Lisa Oleskina went to folklore practice. Searching for folk songs, the girl visited a rural nursing home. Returning to Moscow, she did not forget the sadness and poverty prevailing in this institution.

History

The future founder of the Joyful Old Age Charitable Foundation, Lisa, tried to find organizations that provide assistance to her, but she failed, and the girl decided to act on her own. In May 2007, a girl on a social network published an invitation to everyone to celebrate Victory Day together by visiting a veterans' home near Moscow.

To the surprise of Lisa, there were many who wanted to. By the end of the year, a group of people gathered around the girl who wanted to purposefully help lonely old people. Then Lisa decided to return to the nursing home she visited earlier, which is located in the Pskov region. After that, she and a group of people went to the next establishment of this type.

There were many such stops. Sometimes the workers of the provincial boarding school asked to visit the next one. More often, Liza and her friends searched for nursing homes on their own, using regional websites and address books. The team gradually grew, and in 2011, this volunteer movement created a fund to help the elderly "Old age is a joy."

Since then, a lot has changed - there were programs of material and medical assistance, the organization of rehabilitation and leisure. Branches of the fund have emerged in institutions that house the weakest grandparents. In some of them, the organization's babysitters work and monthly care products and medicines are sent.

One thing has remained unchanged: every weekend, the foundation's volunteers go to nursing homes, arranging a holiday with a concert in them. In addition, thousands of letters are sent monthly by remote grandchildren to grandmothers by correspondence. At the moment, the organization oversees 150 boarding schools from 25 regions of Russia.

The fund pays for the work of about a hundred additional caregivers, as well as cultural workers for the most frail old people. The organization pays for care products, as well as medicines for nursing homes and hospitals.

Mission

The main task of the Old Age for Joy Foundation is to improve the living conditions of elderly people who are in nursing homes, as well as to reduce the emotional vacuum that old people fall into after entering a boarding school. The organization participated in the creation of a system of assistance at the state level.

Representatives of the foundation take as the basis of their activities the position that all people deserve to live with dignity, especially in old age. In this organization, older people are not divided into veterans, disabled children and military widows. Help is also provided to everyone, regardless of whether the person is at home or in a special institution.

The fund employs 20 permanent employees and over 170 assistants throughout Russia. At the same time, more than 20,000 volunteers have provided assistance to this organization at least once.

The fund's team includes high-level specialists. The foundation has its own translation and analytical base. The project is assisted by programmers, lawyers, economists, translators, and analysts. The organization organizes educational projects together with the Vera Foundation, the Senior Group company, the Mercy almshouse, and the School of Sisters of Mercy.

Programs

The Joy of Old Age Foundation is implementing several projects at once. The program "Festival of communication" involves the organization of trips to nursing homes with events with stars and concerts. The Correspondence Grandchildren project allows you to send a letter to lonely elderly people.

Daily Care is a program for the recruitment and training of additional staff, as well as the provision of care and rehabilitation products. The Cozy House project includes cosmetic and major repairs in establishments that house the elderly.

As part of the "Medicine" program, examinations are carried out, as well as treatment in leading clinics in Russia. The Leisure project includes psychological support, art therapy, involvement of leisure organizers, creative and craft workshops.

Command

Elizaveta Oleskina is the director of the Old Age for Joy Foundation. Alla Romanovskaya is in charge of interaction with philanthropists. Alexey Konstantinov is the executive director of the fund. Anna Khateeva became the coordinator of the volunteers. Development Director is Natalia Ostanina. Anna Rulko manages the Leisure and Daily Care programs.

Marina Yasenskaya is responsible for the medical direction. She is a candidate of medical sciences. Anna Zakharova is in charge of the analytics and training department. Alexandra Kuzmicheva is a specialist in the field of SMM and PR.

Sofia Lakhuti works with the fund as an analyst. Anna Remezova is a translator. Ivan Zverev leads the IT department. Mikhail Viktorov is a technical specialist.

Help

There are many ways to support the Old Age for Joy Foundation. Donations are accepted by electronic money, transfer and cash. You can support the project with basic necessities, transport, a trip to a nursing home. Everyone can make something unusual with their own hands or help by profession, on the rights of intellectual volunteering.

The fund team will gladly accept new members. Anyone can help in another way, for this it is enough to contact the representatives of the organization and state their idea. It is easy to follow how the donated aid works and where the donated funds are spent. The Foundation regularly publishes detailed reports on its work.

The address

In Moscow, the Old Age for Joy Foundation can be found on Shukhov Street, 17. It is there in building 2, on the second floor, in office 8, that the representative office of the organization is located.

The building is located 4-5 minutes walk from the metro station "Shabolovskaya". There is paid parking on the street. In order for the employees to be able to give you as much time as possible, it is recommended to inform the time of the visit in advance.

I have long wanted to tell about the amazing girls who decided to turn their lives into a daily feat of supporting those who ended up in nursing homes. But the time has come just now. And not because the country should know its heroes. The reason is simple: the people who invented and organized the volunteer movement "Old Age in Joy" desperately need help. Or rather, not to themselves, but to their ward pensioners.

However, first things first. Today in America, a good half of the people retirement age lives in nursing homes. In Europe, this percentage is lower, but the trend is similar: after 60-70 years, residents of Western countries tend to move to a separate place of residence, since neither the lifestyle nor the children's homes satisfy them. In Russia, the statistics are different. And the attitude to Nursing Homes is different. However, if you set a goal and find out the situation, it turns out that despite the same funding, the situation in them is completely different. It turns out that a lot depends on the local leadership.

Volunteers from “Old Age for Joy” know all this firsthand, but from their own observations. The history of the creation of the community itself is amazing. Some years ago Liza Oleskina, a freshman from the philological faculty of Moscow State University, went to folklore practice in the Pskov region. And together with folk songs somewhere between the villages of Bolshie Gnilishcha and Maloye Zamogilye, in the small village of Yamm, I found a Nursing Home. Most likely, she did not specifically look for him - the locals advised: where else can you find so many grandparents at the same time, if not in such a place. The state in which pensioners lived out their lives, The spectacle was not for the faint of heart. On the other hand, each of us has his own worries and tasks.

Only Lisa realized that her problems are insignificant compared to these, though she did not know how to solve them. So, returning to Moscow, she began to help those who deal with the homeless. But one winter she could not stand it and put up an ad in the philological building of Moscow State University asking for help. Natasha Sergeeva responded. The only one. A 17-year-old girl, who had just entered the law school with the good intention of helping people, approached Lisa at recess.

There were two of them, then more. And Liza, tormented by the inability to help those who remained in Yamm, offered to at least write ba-de (as the girls call their grandparents under their care). The idea was this: each old man had his own grandson or granddaughter. Their friends liked the action so much that soon the ba de was no longer enough. And the girls went looking. First, Ramenskoye came across on their way, where now volunteers come for all holidays with concerts, pies and gifts.

Today, ten volunteers of the "Old Age in Joy" community take care of about 30 nursing homes. Novgorod, Tver, Nizhny Novgorod, Tula regions are only a part of the “coverage zone”. By the way, if you ask the girls themselves what they do, they will say that they write letters. But that's not all. Every weekend, several cars leave Moscow for different parts of the country with a mandatory set - boxes of diapers, walkers, medicines, gifts, sweets. And, of course, letters from the "grandchildren". All this must be bought, stored, prepared. It is clear that the volunteers themselves have a small army of volunteers who are ready to help from time to time. And yet, Lisa and her friends took on the main burden.

Recently, it began to seem that life is slowly getting better, systematized. But Lisa always remembered her first nursing home in Yamm, and therefore constantly monitored the state of the ba-de who were there. Moreover, there is something to watch. According to one of the activists of the movement, Marina Kochevalova, “the situation there has always been bad. Sometimes she got a little better. Basically, when we came and brought the necessary things.”

“Bad situation” means not so much the monstrous conditions in which they are forced to 26 people, of which 7 are bedridden invalids. People who come to the care of the chief physician Vladimir Popov and the medical staff die in terrible agony and much more often than in many other places. “And we are sure that the reason for this is the lack of any medical assistance and disregard for the old people of the staff of the house, and most importantly, the indifference of its director, ”writes Liza Oleskina in her LiveJournal.

Lisa is not unfounded, she talks about specific cases. A year ago, Irina Alekseevna looked like a cheerful, prosperous grandmother. Then, Lisa writes, “her consciousness gradually faded away, and she was moved to a separate room. The room was small, but the window was huge. And the gaps in it were also huge. And in the summer, when we set up a volunteer camp near Yamm and did repairs in the nursing home, we learned that diapers for bedridden grandmothers are rarely changed. We decided to do our best to help the nurses who were not there, and in the process we had to turn over and consider Valdaev as well. The smell of ammonia in some unimaginable concentration hit my nose. Grandmother's mattress was in an oilcloth cover and therefore did not absorb moisture, grandmother did not have diapers. Here the grandmother was lying on the mattress, in the dimple, which she had lain out, and went under herself.

The director refused to come into this room and help us support the grandmother while we treated the bedsores and put a diaper on her (for some reason they buy the smallest diapers for the grandmothers themselves, which can hardly be pulled on).

So: the director not only refused to help us, but also did not want to watch. “What did you want? - He speaks. - Grandma is a lot of years old. Here she has bedsores. Someone else from the staff happily told us: “Yes, these are not bedsores, these are just cadaveric ulcers, she is old and will die soon!”

Grandmother got exhausted relatively recently. We last saw her on September 30th. They did not take pictures of her: one of her eyes completely leaked out, the other sunk terribly. She died without eyes.

Here, without any reservations at all, we can say that THERE grandmother will definitely be better.

I note that the story of the torment of Irina Alekseevna is not the only one. Those who want to verify this can visit the website "Old Age in Joy" and see for themselves. The lack of basic care is also striking because volunteers bring diapers, walkers, wheelchairs, bed linen to Yamm all the time, but all this turns out to be locked in the back room, and the key disappears without a trace from the hostess sister.

Volunteers are sure that the situation can be corrected in the only way - to completely change the management and staff of the nursing home. But it's not so easy when you're from Moscow trying to manage the process and resist the system. And the fact that the system works perfectly is proved by the fact that the commission, instantly organized after blog posts, consisting of the deputy governor of the region, the head of the social development committee and other administration employees, visited the nursing home today.

One should not be surprised at the information given by them that in a personal conversation, none of the patients complained about the conditions. But everyone vying with each other praised the food, care and weekly trips to the bathhouse. I n none of them expressed a desire to move to another social institution. As a special taunt - the end of the high commission's report that the only wish for them was - repair the bridge that connects the boarding house with the center of the village. It remains to be hoped that she came from an old man capable of moving around.

At this moment, Lisa Oleskina and Marina Kochevalova are sitting on the Moscow-Pskov train. They are not going to give up. " Conditions like in Yamm should not exist. It shouldn't be anywhere! We are only guests in nursing homes, we come to please and entertain grandmothers. But here in Yamm, all our help, all financial investments go into the sand. We kindly ask you to help us understand what is happening. And help save those who are still alive, ”Lisa wrote before leaving.

They know that how the drama in Yamm ends will partly determine the fate of their home community, Old Age Joy. But most importantly, they believe that they can help 26 grandparents. And many more who will have to live out their lives in nursing homes.

Maria Sveshnikova

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The governor of the Pskov region Andrey Turchak thanked the girls from the "Old Age for Joy" group:

Statement by the Governor of the Pskov Region Andrey Turchak in connection with the situation in the Yamsky orphanage

In connection with the great public outcry around the Yammsky boarding school for the elderly and disabled, I consider it necessary to express my position.
I am grateful to the student volunteers from the volunteer group “Old Age to Joy” for making a public statement on the situation in the boarding house. Regardless of the results of the audit, I consider this a civic act, and the group's charitable activities and caring for the elderly are a respectable public service. For my part, I guarantee that in the future public organizations will not have obstacles in their activities in social institutions of the Pskov region. After all, the work of student volunteers was not to look for flaws and inflate scandals, but to help the elderly.

Moreover, I consider this example to be the most important signal of the emergence of an effective civil society in our country. I am sure that public organizations are able to exercise control much more effectively than to assign inspection officials to each institution.
As for the situation in the orphanage. The director of the orphanage has been fired, and that's not the point. Currently, the district prosecutor's office is conducting an investigation. There are grounds for initiating a criminal case under the articles “negligence” and “failure to provide assistance”. The situation is taken under my personal control! All social institutions, as well as the entire administration of the social sphere of the Pskov region, will undergo a thorough check.

I emphasize that the priority, measure of the policy and concrete steps of the Administration of the region is a person and his social well-being. In this specific case the incident will be settled when all the elderly people of the boarding house will feel protected and be in comfortable conditions.