一个适合我们老年人的小组活化作用节目 Een Programma de Groep van de ACTivering

OUTLINE • Successful Aging: Research and Models • Our Senior-Citizen Residence –SVPH Fredhällshusen, Stockholm • Our Activation Program: The Breakfast Club –Its progress 2007 -2009 –A little exploratory study started.

Successful Aging • Aging gain less, lose more • Still, we may: • Keep … • Compensate • Cope proactively.

Keep • 1. Healthy – (Lifestyle) • 2. Able in body and mind • 3. Engaged with life.

Keeping: A healthy lifestyle helps Avoid disease & related disability.

Keep high cognitive & physical capacity.

Compensate From Skinner & Vaughan, 1983: Stricter daily routine Shopping cart / walker / grips Better lighting Hearing aids &/or earplugs Thresholds/cords out; rails and rug rubber undercoatings in Home: Bolt, window locks; key + info neighbor, relative Outdoors: Stop—look—listen

Cope proactively.

Prolong active engagement —with life.

SVPH, A Private Society, Owns Four Senior-Citizen Residences in and around Stockholm Our inner-city residence is ‘Fredhällshusen’.

FREDHÄLL, on the Kungsholmen island Part of an innercity neighborhood in Stockholm

A block of two connected five-story apartment houses

Here, we are about 130 residents in 110 apartments; couples living in larger apartments.

FACILITIES OUTDOORS Street Building 1 Indoor walkway An atrium-type inner yard Swimming-pool house Building 2 Street

FACILITIES INDOORS • Three dining halls. • Gym areas – near pool + saunas • Rooms/areas for: – Billiards, TV & music, socializing – library/reading, sewing/weaving – masonry workshop, computers, – laundries; recycling; – wine cellar; visiting guests.

Summer outdoors And how is it INSIDE? Winter outdoors in the inner yard Could we make for

2007: In summer, few activities were offered • Already in June, it got pretty dead at our residence • I put up a notice on the bulletin board • I suggested starting a Breakfast Club – And two meetings: July 3 and 4, – at 8 a. m. (too early!)

The Breakfast Club Starts • Seven of us tenants met – in spite of the early hour • The tenant I had booked to read a poem to us had gone to hospital with a stroke • Instead, I found a 90 -year-old to read a chatty newspaper column to us.

Process: The first club decisions • I had been unrealistic – Too frequent meetings – Too early in the day • The others set me right • We decided to meet 1 hour later already the next day, at 9 -10 a. m. • And in stead of daily meetings, • we decided on weekly meetings.

Process • I quickly put up bulletins about: • Who the presenters were • What they had presented • What listeners had come • What suggestions had come.

During a month with UPs (Unpretentious Presentations) Margareta Modén • (Dutch-treat style) • … more and more tenants came to the Club. (videofilming 2008— 2009)

August, 2007: Secret Guest #1 • I had lured an Associate Professor and retired bank CEO to give a 40 -min. talk – (at 9: 20, or he wouldn’t have come) • Next year, this led to an exploratory study – And a research grant.

Fall, 2007: Secret Guests—at first • Gradually, more could be Pre-Announced • —Or Popped UP • The first two External Speakers were from New Zealand • Then came more External Speakers, from Sweden, on: – Suicide Prevention – United Nations – Alcoholics Anonymous • (not unnecessarily).

External speakers, guests, and visitors are especially important in a senior-citizen residence Now, we have had 22 External Speakers • 28, counting Existential Speakers • (And 2 Guest Program Leaders).

Presenters also came from Staff • Health promoter − demo in gym • Nutrition and kitchen heads • Chief financial officer.

More tenants took part Month, 2007 From To July 4 7 August 7 17 September 12 17 October 20 27 November 17 23 December 10 21

Early 2008: A Research Grant • A Swedish science foundation had given me a small research grant • A video camera was the first expense • Another tenant, Margareta Modén, agreed to try filming and editing. – Later on, also Lars-Olof Ek helped us • Participants were wary—at first • Editing was the hardest work. I joined.

2008 (cont’d): • Prevention of Crime & Violence against us • “The Pilot from the Cabin” (a scoop) – Who landed at Gottröra in 1991 – and saved 160 lives. – The company cover-up • Globetrotters: South America, etc. • How I Got Cancer and Am Living with It – Audience record: 31 present • First anniversary, in July.

2008: Process A Vote for summer: ONLY MONTHLY meetings —Still weekly for Fall and Winter • A New Trio Takes on a New Theme: Life and Death.

Existential Issues 2008— 2009 Views of life and death – Protestant priest – Jesuit – Jewish cantor – Imam – Buddhist nun – Humanist [atheist] Finale: Discussion.

Late 2008 • TV company #1 – plans a series, “For All Ages” – films our proceedings – and records interviews with us participants • Two Police officers: – On prevention of crimes against us • A victim among us spontaneously tells of a theft • Discussion: The Meaning of Life – TV company #2 films it

Christmas, 2008 Extra Late Breakfast 11!—noon Special – On the house: Glögg (mulled wine) & ginger snaps – Declamation of long Christmas poem, from memory – “The Booze Smuggler’s Christmas Eve” – The Christmas Gospel – We joined hands & wished each other – A Merry Christmas Next meeting: January 13, 2009.

2009 Highlights • Mårten Lagergren: Health & development of old folks – A big national longitudinal project (SNAC) • Stroke & rehab • Full 1 -hour Dutch-treat presentations by old and new tenants.

Referring back: Research on “Successful Aging” • Keep (1) healthy, (2) able & (3) engaged –The three Rowe & Kahn factors (1998) • Compensate –Life-Span SOC Model • Baltes & Baltes (1990) • Cope proactively –Aspinwall & Taylor, 1997 –Ouwehand, de Ridder & Benzing, 2007.

Research on proactive coping The three preventive activities most employed by older adults – (identified by Kahana & Kahana, 1996) • Health promotion • Planning • Helping others Like Ouwehand & al, I prefer approach activities to avoidant activities.

Aims of Our Program Content: Add to Rowe & Kahn factors 1— 3! 1. Lifestyle: Alcohol, food, depression and suicide prevention, etc … 2. Keep capacity: Improve memory, physical exercise, dialog skills, brain gym, coping with stress, etc … 3. Engage with life: “Life & death” group Existence, philosophy, religion, and atheism … 4. Lace with: Proactive coping, info & entertainment!

Among info on threats and potentials around us • Preventing crime and violence against us old people • Orientation about organizations, – especially available social services • Engagement in social and political issues • Longitudinal studies of health and development of us old folks (SNAC project, also on our island in Stockholm) • Natural science: Nuclear physics, chemistry, astronomy • The wider global world: Geography, politics, travel • Rehabilitation, e. g. after stroke • Alternative housing for the elderly.

And much else; simply, a varied ’smörgåsbord’, served by: • Ourselves (also UPs, unpretentious Dutch-treat presentations) • Many external presenters • A few staff.

A little exploratory study started Co-workers Filming and editing: Margareta Modén Helping with filming and IT: Lars-Olof Ek Qualitative analysis of participants’ statements: Eva Rydberg Fåhraeus.

Attendance • I have been to 85 meetings out of 89 (96%) – For those, I made fairly good attendance records • Tabulated analyzed them • We have a handful of regular presenters – A sense of commitment? • Several handfuls of very faithful listeners • Most do say something there • Almost none avoid that.

We have asked for comments • “Why I never come back to the Club” • “Why I did come back to the Club” • “… anything else about the Club? ” No non-participant replied We plan a questionnaire + brief interviews.

Participants’ reasons for not coming back. Quotes: • 9 am too early for me • Prioritizing my mornings for myself • Conflict with scheduled activities – including medical treatments.

Participants’ positive quotes 1. Interesting content – – – About neighborhood Exciting Mental refill New domains Recognition factor (cf. below) • Same respondent. 3. Regularity, habit – I am a creature of habit – A good habit to get up, • Though tired in mornings – Looking forward to Tuesdays – Recognition factor (cf. above) 2. Atmosphere – Welcoming • informal, – Warm, including – Unpretentious – Friendly • Nice – Modest – Fosters a sense of community – Good humour – Warm humaneness

Taking in Sail and … … Heading for the Sunset.

Thank You! Sven Rydberg Fredhaellsg 12 /2404 S-112 54 Stockholm Sweden +46 (0)8 656 -0370 info@sven-rydberg. org ACT World Conference III, July 1 --3, 2009; Enschede, Holland