World Senior Day in Gütersloh: Active seniors celebrate with Franz Müntefering!

Von WOM

The Skylobby of the Gütersloh Theater experienced a lively opening ceremony on Tuesday for the World Senior Center, which was characterized by a warm atmosphere and a bright audience. Almost every place was occupied, which made the great interest of the citizens clear in the topics related to aging and the importance of the elderly in the community. By October 11th, the city of Gütersloh expects numerous free offers for senior citizens who invite you to exchange, learn and to participate.

The first deputy Henning Matthes opened the event with a warm greeting, praised the committed support from individuals and the Gütersloh community foundation. The organizer of the event, Heidi Ostmeier, charged through the program and presented a very special guest of honor: Franz Müntefering, the former group leader of the SPD and Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs.

inspiration by Franz Müntefering

Müntefering, now 84 years old, emphasized the three decisive aspects of life in old age: running, learning and laughing in his impressive impulse department. He explained that it was crucial to stay active, to be open to new things and to maintain social contacts. His guiding principle "Present is my whole life" emphasized the importance of the conscious experience of the moment and asked to talk more about being old in order to be better prepared.

He was particularly urging the gap in education for seniors: "Why are there hardly any courses that offer two target group -oriented information on nutrition, exercise and finance in old age from 55 target group -oriented information?" Müntefering also discussed the challenges that the aging brings with it, including the need to learn how to deal with serious illnesses and loneliness. His explanations were met with much applause.

In the subsequent panel discussion, which was led by Ostmeier and Nicole Röthe, experts exchanged information about the different age pictures and how they changed over time. Jürgen Jentsch, the chairman of the Senior Advisory Board, stated which offers for Gütersloher seniors already exist, from cinema afternoons to rollator training.

Another discussion point was the approach of Dr. phil. Frauke Schönberg, which encouraged to integrate the perspective of the users in decisions, especially in care facilities. Julia Kelp from the AG Welfare Associations spoke out for a culture of recognition for volunteers and presented the new podcast "Volunteering good", which deals with this subject area.

emotional highlights and cultural program

A moving moment was the report by Johannes Bichmann on the art project "The Lights of Age", which addressed the beauty of older faces and its expressiveness. The accompanying exhibition in the Skylobby, which shows these motifs, is still presented in the Wilhelm Florin Center.

The Ü60 choir of the Gütersloh district music school, which delighted the audience with warm welcome songs, provided the musical accompaniment. A dance group of the Federal Association of Senior Dance brought movement to the audience with a popular line dance and encouraged the guests to participate, even while sitting.

The versatile program around World Senior Day still offers numerous opportunities for seniors until October 11th to actively deal with various topics, learn new skills and establish social contacts - all in a framework that promotes exchange and coexistence. An event that invites not only the older citizens, but also their relatives and younger generations, to seek dialogue and to recognize the potential of the older life.