Vanhustenviikko to ease loneliness among elderly people

Vanhustenviikko or the Elderly Week will be celebrated this year in Rovaniemi as elsewhere in the country on October 6 to October 13 with elderly people taking part in disparate activities planned to alleviate their loneliness.

The theme of this year’s week is ‘get ready for old age (Varaudu vanhuuteen),’ said the event organisers at the Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older People (Vanhustyön keskusliito-VTKL).

Although the main event of this year’s Elderly Week will be held in Sodankylä, the Rovaniemi chapter of the association has chalked out a range of activities like discussions, cultural performance and sports activities to mark the week.

“There will be many different events including cultural and sports activities during the week in Rovaniemi,” said Matti Selin, cultural manager in the city of Rovaniemi.

He said the programmes of the Elderly Day and the Elderly Week will be inaugurated at the Lappia Hall on October 6 with Elderly weeks main celebration. Besides the oration the program includes music, theatre and folk dance performances.

They will get free entrance to the Culture House Korundi, the Arktikum science centre and museum, and the Pilke Science Centre, during the week, said the cultural manager.

“There will be a very good selection of interesting activities during the week where the elderly will get an opportunity to get involved in. I think they will be happy to take part in such events,” Selin added.

On this occasion, the traditional ‘Elder of the Year’ award will be accorded to the selected elderly person or project, said the National Association for Elderly Care.

The association, in cooperation with the Mutual Pension Insurance Company Ilmarinen, will give the award made of 5,000 euros to the recipient. The prize has now been awarded for the 12th time with a view to encourage development of various methods of work for the elderly.

The winner will be announced and the award will be handed over to the person at the main festival, the National Elderly Day, on October 6 in Sodankylä.

Finland has been celebrating the Elderly Week and the Elderly Day since 1954. The Day of Older People takes place on the first Sunday of October with the following week being celebrated as the Week of Older People.

VTKL was established in 1949 for promoting the welfare and social protection of the older population. It is a national cooperation platform of approximately 340 non-profit associations working for the benefit of the senior citizens.