In Carolina’s gnarled hand the marker trembles. Then Filippo’s chubby fingers come to the rescue. Carolina lets herself be guided and a house with a pointed roof, open windows and a small entrance door comes to life on the page. Around the large table set up in the garden it is all a compliment to the work of the two artists. Carolina is amazed at what she managed to do, it had been years since she started drawing and, who knows, maybe she thought she wasn’t capable of it anymore. Filippo also smiles proudlyhe did something “grown up”: he knows that it is thanks to him that “grandmother” Carolina can feel satisfied, but he keeps the “secret” to himself and they are both happy. This is how a small “hidden” gesture makes visible one of the most forgotten truths of our time: harmony between generations is good for everyone, old and young.
We are at Requesti Hospital Foundation of Gussagonot far from Brescia. Here, from mid-June until the return to school in September, a free summer center is active for the children and grandchildren of employees, with some moments of contact with the elderly being treated at the health centre. An economic measure to support families, certainly, but also an opportunity to promote synergy between the different ages of life and not lose the good habit of visiting those who are most alone. The leitmotif of the summer is Storytelling and the activities range from games to workshops. When we go to visit them, the morning is dedicated to “joint drawing” and around the table old people and children try their hand at colors together. The atmosphere is cheerful, the children bring a breath of lightheartedness and even the “grandmothers” do their part: the little ones are enraptured by hearing them sing That bunch of flowers. Looking at the group, close-knit in its variety of faces, styles and ages, old age no longer seems like a time for loneliness and fragility. «Children do everything well, even tantrums», says Piera amused. She likes to sing but doesn’t like drawing, she doesn’t like it: «In October I’ll do 90», she says almost to apologize for her inactivity. Next to her, Angela says she is “many, many years old: 90!”. Filippo, who is 7 years old, this time doesn’t hold back: «But how, yesterday you said 100, how old are you?». Next up, here’s Augusta: «Do you know how old I am? 49! Oh yes, youth that never comes back – he laughs – there are 94 of them.” Smiles again and that indispensable need for proximity, of feeling loved and part of the group also infects Laurina: «I’m 83 years old, I mean it». Everyone has their say but, upon closer inspection, age doesn’t have much importance when you can spend peaceful time together, a time in which no one is a “bed number” or their pathology.
In fact, Laurina herself likes to be with the children of the summer center because “they bring joy”. «With them we rejuvenate», Vittoria, 86, supports us. «I try to remember the games I played as a child, but a lot of time has passed and updating to today’s tastes is difficult. My grandchildren are far away” – he grieves for a moment – “but these children also steal my heart”. Then one chat leads to another, the little ones seem absorbed in the drawing but it is clear that they listen to everything. «They are life that grows, they help me accept old age and give me the courage to move forward», says Carolina, 90 years old, 6 children, 16 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. «Children always have a completely new way of playing, I like it when my little ones call me “great grandma”. What happiness when they come to visit us.”
Among the “grandmothers” and “grandfathers” in question, some are guests of the health residence, others return to their homes at the end of the day. For everyone, the benefit of the company is evident. The first day it’s a look, then the greeting turns into a smile and gradually into a caress and a pat. If it is sweet for the elderly to be remembered by their families, the interaction with children is no less fruitful, it is rewarding and, above all, stimulating. «Dialogue between generations brings back good humor and helps bring out dormant skills”says Cinzia Sabatti, 53 years old, one of the educators. «It happens, for example, that children become curious about the past. A simple question like “but did you dress up for Carnival?” stimulates long-term memory and offers elderly people the opportunity to relive moments of joy, also thinking back to when they themselves were parents.”
The children become the eyes and arms of the older ones, who light up again in the consolation of not being left alone. For their part, the elderly are also a blessing for the little ones. «They reevaluate them as bearers of wisdom and life experiences, from them they learn respect for previous generations», Sabatti further notes. «From us they can learn to sing but also to obey», Cecilia quickly inserts herself, who at 87 years old is among the young people in the group.
Being with the patients, the children of the summer center think about the elderly people in their family and the desire to be with them grows. «With the grandparents we go around or play board games. And no, I do my homework alone”, points out Giorgia, 10 years old, as she paints some flowers around a pond. «Grandma told me that the bracelet I made her was the best gift she received for her birthday. She also liked the card with the stickers,” says Stella, 8 years old, enthusiastically. Bianca, the same age, talks with pleasure about when she goes with her grandparents to the garden to pick strawberries and raspberries. Everyone has their own experience, made up of affection and small habits. «Grandparents are special», summarize Camilla and Margherita. «It’s nice to see how the relationship with the elderly comes naturally. Children are empathetic and know how to grasp situations: for example, they patiently respond to “grandparents” who ask them several times “what’s your name?””, says Enrica Opizzi, 30 years old, educator at the summer center.
After the morning’s activities, the children have a packed lunch or in the canteen, also being able to meet their parents or grandparents who work in the facility. The health center is immersed in a beautiful garden with fountains and benches in the shade: it feels good and time passes quickly. The structure was created by the will of the noble Paolo Requesti, who in 1860 ordered the establishment of a “hospital for the sick poor” and “a retirement home for the old poor”: a mission which, in updated forms, has continued over time, so much so that today the experience of Requesti is a reminder to families and ecclesial communities not to forget the elderly.
«The summer camp is a qualified and qualifying time for us», concludes Maria Mazza, 50 years old, director of human resources. «From patients to operators through to employees, we always work in the logic of caring». And this is how, together, elderly people and children design a better future.
