Το πρόγραμμα θάλλω που υλοποιείται από τον Ιανουάριο του 2018 με ιδρυτική δωρεά από το Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος, είναι μία ολιστική προσέγγιση στην ψυχαγωγία των ηλικιωμένων που διαμένουν εντός και εκτός περιβάλλοντος γηροκομείου, ένας νέος τρόπος επικοινωνίας με την Τρίτη Ηλικία και την καθημερινότητα της άνοιας.
In the framework of extroversion and the effort to eliminate the fear associated with dementia, as well as to change the stereotypical image on Third Age, we gladly accepted the invitation to participate in the winter version of the Chios Music Festival in 2019 and 2020, attempting to design activities that would bring the public closer to the elderly by starting a dialogue through the arts of music and theater.
After successive visits to the island and meeting with the elderly of the nursing homes, the activity “A musical afternoon with special company” was born, in collaboration with students of the Chios’ Music School.
Music travels through time and some of us are lucky enough to catch some moments and turn them into songs. With respect to the years that went by and full of hope for those yet to come we proposed a new venue for artistic activities – a nursing home – and along with its residents we created an original musical activity filled with optimism and smiles. Our goal was to make music function as the beginning of a dialogue between the nursing home residents and the viewers – the young and the older.
In winter 2020, we were thrilled to return to Chios where once we greeted the students of the Chios’ Music School to organize one more unique recreational activity for the elderly residing in the nursing homes of Kampos and Kardamyla.
In our first visit tradition had a prominent role, with several musical instruments accompanying the main theme: love. This time, we chose to travel back, in an imaginary time where Shakespeare’s heroes have elaborate dialogues under the sounds of great classical composers. The nursing home residents watched a different narration of the great British playwright’s “Twelfth Night”, while several musicians accompanied the heroes’ misfortunes.
We hope that those sweet afternoons in the heart of the winter, resulting from the need of Third Age to see the world through the eyes of children, will trigger more artistic dialogues with the elderly in the future.