Soft wool scarves, a hat to keep your head and ears warm during the harsh winter days (and nights), heavy sweaters that protect you from the cold. Often that’s all the homeless want when temperatures drop so much. And the most skilled at knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch or half-stitch embroidery – you know – are the elderly, who learned these ancient practices when they were still children.
This is why “Create to Donate” was born, a project conceived by Orpea Italia, the Italian division of the Orpea Group, one of the most important companies in the world in the sector of retirement homes: in every Rsa of the Group that has joined the initiative were organized knitting workshops and allied, during which the elderly guests were able making scarves, hats and warm clothing with their hands, suitable for the harsh winter. All these precious artifacts will be offered as a Christmas gift to people in need living in the area. Each participating residence, from Turin to Bergamo, from Sanremo to Treviso, up to Verbania, has contacted a local charity, from Caritas to the municipal dormitory, to which it will deliver the Christmas gifts. hand made made by the elderly.
“Creating to Donate” is a project that is good for both the guests of the residences and the recipients of woolen hats, sweaters and scarves: various scientific research confirms that it is important to spend one’s time in creative and recreational activities, because they a positive impact on well-being psychophysical.
“This kind of manual activity is particularly valid for the elderly because it recalls emotions, memories, social roles that the person associates with his childhood (when he learned) and adulthood (when he taught)”, explain the educators of Orpea Italia. «Operationally, it requires motor and cognitive skills: from eye-manual coordination to procedural and perspective memory, from the ability to abstraction to the maintenance of attention but also socialization and collaboration between peers. They come then stimulated different areas, even for people with cognitive impairment mild or moderate “.
But the project is also a gesture of love and solidarity. «The value of this initiative lies in the fact that the activity is not an end in itself. The elderly are, and should feel, useful and valuable for the community », says Alessandra Taveri, Coo Orpea Italy. “And so their time and their skills are transformed into a warm embrace that we want to dedicate to all those categories of people most in need, for whom a small gift can mean a lot”.
Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you:
The Christmas of the elderly alone, like Mary
.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
