The coronavirus pandemic has brought various restrictions. Elderly people in particular had to cut back their social contacts. To enable elderly people to still participate in Sanderau’s social activities, Diakonie Würzburg and THWS have created the digital regulars’ table for senior citizens.
Socialising and lively discussions: Gathering at a regulars’ table is part of Bavarian culture. However, during the coronavirus pandemic socialising was nearly impossible. And: reduced contacts and other restrictions particularly impacted the elderly. Loneliness was a big topic as many senior citizens have lost contact with their work colleagues when they entered retirement, and because they may have already lost relatives. During the pandemic, social contacts in the neighbourhood were also drastically reduced. The initiative “Miteinander in der Sanderau” (which translates to Together in Sanderau) intended to counter this problem - and thus create more social contacts due to digital offers.
So the initiative in collaboration with THWS came up with the idea of a digital regulars’ table for senior citizens. Professor Dr. Theresia Wintergerst, who has engaged in senior citizen work for many years, has supported the project on behalf of the University. As a professor at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences she would have wished to include her students in the project. However, the pandemic mode rendered this impossible. In January 2022, nevertheless, the first digital regulars’ table could take place at THWS.
The first digital regulars’ table
The first virtual regulars’ table was carried out under pandemic conditions in a hybrid format. Participants and interested parties could participate in person at THWS - or could join the regulars’ table digitally. Historian Willi Dürrnagel opened the event by giving a historical review of the development of Sanderau. Hildegard Hardt from “Nachbarschaftshilfe” (neighbourhood assistance) then continued with the challenges facing Sanderau today. In her presentation she pointed out the lack of opportunities for senior citizens in Sanderau and demanded improvements, as the organisation team reports.
The next speaker, Renate Fiedler, member of the senior citizen representation, spoke about the district work of “Miteinander in der Sanderau” and the accessibility of the neighbourhood. Fiedler advises local politicians in questions of networking and infrastructure in social spaces and the general needs of senior citizens.
Antje Marlock was the last speaker. She introduced her activities as district manager focussing on senior citizens. “I see myself as someone collecting offers for the senior citizens of Sanderau and spreading the information online and offline so that senior citizens know: There is an offer I can make use of”, says Marlock.
In addition to the broad spectrum of speakers, there was also a wide range of participants. Among them employees from nursing services, retail and welfare organisations, representatives of the city of Würzburg, senior citizens and people interested in the neighbourhood. A total of 20 people participated on-site, around 30 participated virtually. A complete success as host Professor Dr. Wintergerst concluded.
Focus on accessibility of Sanderau
The virtual regulars’ table is aimed at facilitating senior citizens’ access to social spaces. It is concerned with topics relevant and important to senior citizens, and also stands up for their needs so that they can be met in Sanderau. This is important because the neighbourhood is not senior-friendly in all areas. “Public toilets, lowered kerbs and traffic lights are scarce“, criticises district manager Antje Marlock. Infrastructure development and retail expansion are also required. The reason is that especially citizens of the outer Sanderau (“Hintere Sanderau”) must not only cover long distances to reach shops for daily necessities but also to reach the required public transportation.
The future of the development of social space
In future, the digital regulars’ table is intended to take place every three to six months. The regulars’ table is, however, but one of the initiative’s projects as the initiative strives to encourage changes in the social space development of this neighbourhood. Another project is the so-called “Round Table” for actors which is supposed to take place regularly. In addition, the offers by retirement homes, institutions and meeting places available pre-Coronavirus, are supposed to take place again. These include regular events in the afternoon with talks or afternoon tea, memory training, excursions, lunches and movie nights. One special feature of Sanderau worth mentioning here is the “Cybercafé by senior citizens for senior citizens”. It introduces senior citizens to the digital world and existing technologies and informs them about how to navigate online.
Despite all of these offers and events, Antje Marlock is convinced that there could be more offers for the senior citizens of Sanderau still. “On the one hand, people aged 65 are still fit and young and want to make lots of new experiences“, reflects the district manager. “On the other hand, many senior citizens cannot be reached with information spread online“, explains Marlock. In her opinion, that is when elderly people form an inhibition threshold when it comes to calling and asking back, which makes it more likely for them to grow lonely more quickly. They must be targeted with specific projects like the virtual regulars’ table and thus included in social spaces.
Click here to listen to the podcast "THWS project for the development of a social space" (podcast in German/English transcript available)
