CoverAGE Global | July 2024

Imagine you’re the casting director of a musical with a seemingly impossible task: Find 30 seniors in Vienna who are willing to sing and dance on stage. With a callback rate that usually lies between 5–7%, it was clear that at least 500 seniors would have to be found to cast the best 30. The entire city would be notified of this innovative cultural act—and the most renowned singing and dancing coaches in Austria had been hired to train the amateur actors' group. No pressure!  All of your hope lies on a city-wide media and PR campaign to invite seniors to come to the casting; a campaign that was announced in traditional media channels like print, radio and local TV. A few weeks pass and only 150 people apply. You’re trying to think outside the box: Let’s target the grandchildren! You start running a campaign on Instagram titled “Sign Your Grandma Up to Perform On Stage”. Zero response. Then it hits you: Target seniors on social media with a video campaign! A few days pass and then, suddenly, the applications start pouring in. 600 submissions in 10 days! You probably already guessed which media channel helped to reach the goal: Facebook.

Sunil Raghavan, a Singapore based IT Professional and a Table Tennis enthusiast, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015. He has a 6-year-old son diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome. Neither of these conditions has a cure. The diagnosis altered Sunil as a person. “My outlook towards the journey of life changed and my motive to live got much more meaningful,” says Sunil. Table Tennis has helped both Sunil and his son improve their respective conditions. Sunil’s experience with table tennis and how it had improved his life was something he wanted to share. Together with the help of a few friends, they formed Table Tennis for Good (TT4G) Limited. Playing table tennis—even at an absolute beginner level—develops muscle endurance, hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cognitive performance, memory, upper body strength and has many other benefits. TT4G has developed a series of programs focused on older adults, with resources and materials available to get people of any ability playing.  “We are all responsible to contribute towards our community in our own little ways,” says Sunil.

Jim Goettler, author of the book Everything Non-Profit Toolkit, first heard about SĀGE on Facebook. After becoming a mentor, he connected with 2 young women from New York who had started a non-profit during COVID-19. Their idea was to send plants to older adults in nursing homes, and they needed organizational expertise to help scale their idea. Jim said: “That’s where I was able to step in. They were good people, doing good things and I wanted to help these young ladies build their business. To me, this feels like a simple continuum and natural progression of how things should be. They can now take the knowledge I passed on to them, add their understanding, and then pass it along to the next person, who will share it with the next.”  Sandi, a resident of Sydney, Australia, contacted the platform after reading about SĀGE. She said, “I don’t know what I can teach, but I want to be involved.” Sandi took on the role of sharing the SĀGE platform with Australian newspapers and recruiting new Sages. Helping the platform grow fills her with joy: “I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about something. It gives me butterflies!”

In Japan, cities like Masudo are raising public awareness among residents and businesses, especially those that regularly come in contact with older adults. Cafes and dementia drop-in centers are the types of places where the Mimamoriai service team distributes stickers that can be attached to wallets, keychains and umbrellas—which help police and attentive citizens locate the families of people who have wandered from their homes. Manami Y. is a local welfare official who often patrols Matsudo’s suburbs. She says, “If we see an older house that has the curtains drawn during the day or a big pile of newspapers in the mailbox, we go and check.”  She also knew exactly what to do when she spotted a woman pushing a bicycle who, despite the rain, did not have an umbrella. The woman told her she was on her way to her hometown—which was hundreds of miles away. The orange Mimamoriai sticker on her coat allowed Manami to call the woman’s daughter, and Manami was able to talk with the woman until her family arrived to escort her home. Manami alone has helped 14 of the 180 dementia patients in Matsudo safely reunite with their families.

78-year-old Bo Shan is a member of the Atayal group, Taiwan’s second largest indigenous community and are located in the country’s central mountains. Bo Shan had been healthy and active for most of his life, until one day he got a bad cold and went to the hospital for a check-up. He was admitted and a tracheostomy tube was inserted. What followed was a difficult period of constant transition between the hospital and nursing home. Bo Shan felt deeply alone and wished to go back home to his village. Plahan came forward to help. Plahan in Atayal means “people sitting around the fire pit, gathering together to support each other”. The organization formed a multidisciplinary team to help Bo Shan return home and receive the care he needed. The care team further assisted Bo Shan to reconnect with his family and friends at church. Gradually, Bo Shan regained his ability to live independently and began to embrace a new role as a supporter of other seniors in the community. “Because of Plahan, I could go back home and find joy in life that had been long lost since I was admitted to the hospital and nursing home. Plahan offers me not only care and support, but also an extended family. I am grateful and willing to be the support to others in my community,” says Bo Shan.

Connie Newman understands the issues that seniors face; since her retirement she has devoted her life to advocating for the needs of seniors. As a retired high school teacher, Connie’s ability to bring people together and solve problems makes her perfect in her role: “I am a connector. I firmly believe the more knowledge that people have, the more they control their own destiny. My work aims to help people socialize and gain information.” What are the main issues Connie think seniors are facing right now? Income insecurity: did I save enough money, where can I afford to live, can I eat healthy and can I afford to socialize with the money I have available? Where can we find solutions? Through gathering: people gather over food, families gather over dinner, small communities gather over coffee & conversation events. People want to be seen and appreciated—no matter their age. For many older people who watch TV all day—no wonder they get depressed, the news is constantly negative! Connie remarks, “We need to get people out of their house and engaged in all the good things that are happening in our world. My message to people of all ages: Smile and say hi when you walk by somebody on the street. It’s simple. Respect people that are different than you. ”  COVID-19 has impacted many businesses and nonprofits — and Winnipeg’s community radio station CJNU 93.7FM is no different. When they announced to their listeners that they may have to sign off, the community rallied to help fund the radio station confirming the incredible impact the station has with its listeners.

Neuza Guerreiro de Carvalho: “I am 90 years old and had stayed in my apartment alone since March cooking, cleaning and working. It was a very lonely period. Then the campaign #IamOverSixty appeared in the media, and as a local director of Aging2.0, I was invited to join it. I was asked to do a TV commercial for iFood (a delivery App), calling attention to the needs of older adults.” “This got a lot of people who are 60 years and older excited to read my blog about daily life, the books I read and the classes I lecture. They were also eager to learn how to use digital tools to communicate. I am also pleased that my appearance on TV raised awareness for my live digital course about how to write one’s personal history (Memorias Contadas) and helped me to gain dozens of new subscribers.”  This campaign is like a wave: starting small, it has grown with more and more people connecting and passing on the message. It has helped people like Neuza Guerreiro de Carvalho feel better about themselves and encouraged them to move forward, feel loved and listened to. This campaign is gradually reaching other cities and states through its work and engagement of other Aging2.0 local Chapters (such as Ribeirao Preto and Rio).

Alena has a physiotherapist appointment. She recently injured her ankle and isn't able to walk on the cobblestone streets that surround her home in Jeseník, Czech Republic. In a city that has no public transport she simply opens the Oscar Senior app and orders a taxi. The convenient 15-minute ride saves her from further injury and pain. When the taxi arrives, she greets her driver, Havel, with a smile and hello. Knowing the driver’s name makes Alena feel comfortable. During the ride she tells Havel all about her holiday season, including how proud she was to have learned to use the new tablet her son gave her for Christmas.  Alena says: "I never thought I would say this, but I am so grateful for technology. I remember the days when I needed to use the car service from the municipality. I had to order it at least 24 hours in advance. Now I just open the app, see who will pick me up and a taxi arrives.”

Amrita Narain started teaching cooking over 25 years ago, but as a full-time working mother she decided to take a break. Now retired, she reignited her passion for teaching when she heard about Diaspo. She is now instructing people who share her passion for food through online classes. Teaching gave her something to do during the pandemic when the lockdowns began. Her recipes aren’t from any cookbooks—they are unique to her family, gathered through letters from her mother and sister over 30 years ago. Sharing these recipes, especially with the younger generations, fills her with gratitude and pride—it allows her to pass on the belonging and identity of her Indian heritage.  Amrita recently spoke to a 17-year-old participant of her online cooking class on Southern Indian cuisine. He told her: “Growing up in London, we dress British and speak British and when we eat Indian food it often tastes like fast food. Learning how my grandmother in Chennai was cooking gives me the sensation of the culture that I come from.” Amrita is one of Diaspo’s three dozen senior private chefs, each of whom are from different cultural backgrounds. The community continues to grow each month and the fact Amrita is earning extra money from teaching these classes is icing on the cake.