The fifth day was spent mainly in two facilities serving the needs of older people. The first place was the Centro Municipal de Mayores Ruzafa, or Ruzafa Municipal Activity Center for Seniors. On site, the Center’s employees talked about their work and all kinds of activities prepared for Spanish seniors.

The next place the seniors visited that day was EPA Escuela de Personas Adultas Mislata, a training center for adults. The unit organizes many courses for people over 18 years of age. These include: courses preparing for qualification tests in a specific profession, language courses and seminars and workshops on various topics. One of the workshops offered by the center that seniors liked was mental fitness training. For this reason, on that day, employees of EPA Escuela de Personas Adultas Mislata prepared one-hour workshops for the mobility participants to improve their mental condition. All participants were delighted with the opportunity to learn different techniques and ways to stimulate the brain.

The fifth day was the penultimate day of the stay in Spain, so an evening tour of the city was obligatory on that day in order to buy souvenirs and take souvenir photos.

The last day of mobility was not very long due to the early return flight, but we had enough time to visit the ESMOVIA organization hosting us in Valencia. At the organization’s headquarters, our seniors talked about their impressions of their stay in Spain over coffee. Everyone was in a good mood and gave only positive opinions about the mobility and the attractions provided during it. The culmination of the meeting was the distribution of certificates for participation in group mobility carried out as part of the “Senior open to the world” project.

The trip was an unforgettable adventure for all participants, in which they had the opportunity to learn more about Spanish culture, the beautiful architecture of Valencia and themselves through workshops.

The first day of group mobility was a great experience for our seniors, mainly due to the plane flight – for some it was the first time in their lives. In addition, everyone was extremely excited about the adventure that was just beginning.

After an hour and a half flight from Krakow to Copenhagen, we took a bus to our destination, Malmö in Sweden. To get there, we had to cross an eight-kilometer bridge connecting Denmark with Sweden, which was an interesting attraction for all of us. Then, after checking into the hotel and freshening up a bit, we went for a short walk around the city. We had the pleasure of seeing the church of St. Peter, the statue of King Karl X Gustaf on the Stortorget (large square) and metal casts of famous people’s shoes on the bridge in the central part of the city. We saw many historic and modern buildings along the way. First impression? The city’s buildings fit together perfectly. Newly built facilities reflect the atmospheric tenement houses without spoiling the charm of the city. In addition, there is a lot of greenery, flower beds, canals and bridges.

The seniors really liked the city and were curious about all the activities and attractions that awaited them during group mobility.

On the second day, right after breakfast, we went for a walk to the EU MOBILITY SVERIGE organization, which, as a project partner, organized activities for seniors during mobility in Sweden. Then we went to Seniorium, which is the Polish senior club. Seniors here had organized physical exercises to help maintain body balance.

In the afternoon, the entire group met with Mrs. Żaklina – a city official from the Health and Social Care department in Malmö, who presented the picture of senior life in Sweden. Project participants heard a lot of interesting information from her, including: that Swedes live very long – the average life expectancy is 81.34 years for men and 84.73 years for women. The retirement age is 65 for both sexes. The vast majority of people who reach retirement age immediately retire to enjoy their well-deserved free time. The maximum age up to which Swedes can work is 69. Once they reach this age, they are entitled to many benefits related to receiving state aid. One of them is “Housing” – adapting an apartment for an elderly person to facilitate their daily activities (e.g. installing bathroom handles for seniors). Another privilege that older people in Sweden can benefit from is the so-called handyman services. “Handman.” Employees employed in this role come when a senior calls and help in activities that could expose the elderly to some kind of injury (e.g. hanging curtains or changing a light bulb). These people are also called upon to provide individual assistance to seniors in the field of IT, through which they explain how to use a telephone or computer.

The summary of the meeting and the entire day was the final sentence of the presentation, which is the main life motto for many Swedish seniors.

Varje dag är viktigast – (ENG) Every day is the most important

We started the third day with outdoor exercises in the city park. We got there by public transport, seeing Malmö from the perspective of a bus. While on site, the project participants joined a large group of Swedish seniors and exercised with them to the rhythm of Swedish hits. Everyone gave their best, and those whose health did not allow them to fully engage in physical activity performed exercises individually tailored to their abilities. After the exercises, hot coffee and tea and a sweet snack in the open air – Swedish Fika – were waiting for everyone present. Fika is a concept, a state of mind, an attitude and an important part of Swedish culture. Many Swedes believe that making time for fika every day is almost essential. This means taking time from friends and colleagues to share a cup of coffee (or tea) and something to eat. Swedes believe it is important to take time to stop and focus on socializing. Fika refreshes the brain and strengthens relationships.

Polish seniors quickly found their place among their peers living in Sweden. It turned out that one of the participants was Polish and had been living in Malmö for 30 years. Mrs. Ania willingly shared her feelings about living in Sweden and experiencing old age here with the seniors. Swedes have no qualms about talking about their age. They believe in the principle that you should enjoy life and that instead of sitting alone at home in front of the TV, it is better to go out and do something together. Mrs. Ania herself said: “I am happy that I am old and that I can enjoy it. I was young, I was middle-aged, and now I’m old. Old age is great. I can do whatever I want and be fulfilled in it.”

At the end of an eventful day, there was one more attraction waiting for us – a boat cruise through the canals of charming Malmö. Because boats in the city are rented like bicycles
or a scooter in Poland, each participant could become a helmsman for a moment and sail with the whole group through the canals, watching the beautiful landscape of the city from the boat.

On the fourth day in the morning, interested people went for a walk to the Swedish seaside to walk on the pier, sunbathe and see the popular
in the city there is a sauna located at the sea, after which you can immediately cool down in the cold Baltic Sea.

After the walk, the whole group met at the Tuppen senior center to hear a few words about places like this from Mrs. Mia – an educator for the elderly and Anika – a coordinator who takes care of adapting the environment for a better life for seniors. Swedish senior centers are places where every senior can find something for themselves. Their main task is to build opportunities for dignified aging, promoting an active and healthy lifestyle regardless of social class, nationality, etc. These centers help older people not feel lonely. They also look for seniors who do not yet know about the existence of these centers and encourage them to take advantage of the activities they offer.

There are as many as 10 such centers in Malmö alone! They are visited by over 7,000 people every month. In each of them, various cyclical activities and single events are organized, such as concerts, conferences, etc. Every 3 months, the quarterly “Vi tillsammans” (“We together”) is published, in which all the activities and attractions planned for the next 3 months are written out in a prepared plan right in the middle of the newspaper – so that it can be easily torn out and always had at hand. If a certain type of activity is not available and one of the seniors would like to create specific activities, they are given such an opportunity. For example, if there is a group of 15 people willing to go on a trip, it is organized.

Our Polish seniors really liked how many activities are offered to retirees living in Sweden and with a spark in their eyes they unanimously said that it could be the same in our home country and that older people would have a better life.

In the evening everyone had free time. Some of the group spent it resting at the hotel, some looking for suitable souvenirs for their loved ones, and still others looking for a restaurant with local delicacies. Everyone was very satisfied with the moment for themselves and the opportunity to regenerate for another active day.

To start the fifth day of mobility well, we went to the Limhamns Motesplats senior center – a bit away from the city center. On site, together with Swedish seniors, we took part in exercises to improve body balance. We practiced our balance and how to breathe properly while performing physical activity so that our body is properly oxygenated.

After waking up for exercise, we took a train to the capital of Denmark. From the station we went to the longest promenade in Europe, 1.1 km long, i.e. the largest shopping zone in Copenhagen – Strøget, located in the heart of the city. From there we went to the tower of Christiansborg Palace to admire the wonderful panorama of Copenhagen. This tower is the tallest tower in the city and measures 106 meters. Then we visited Frederiksstaden – the most popular Danish district, home to Amalienborg Palace, the seat of the Danish royal family, and Marmorkirken (Marble Church), boasting the largest church dome in Scandinavia. We were very lucky because when we arrived at the square next to the Palace, we had the opportunity to see the ceremonial changing of the guard.

Saying goodbye to Copenhagen, we went to one of the most characteristic places in Copenhagen. Nyhavn, because this is the name of the extremely charming port. It owes its photogenicity to the numerous, colorful tenement houses situated on a narrow canal and the forest of wooden sailboat masts moored to the waterfront. At Nyhavn 20 there is a house where the most famous Danish writer, Christian Andersen, lived and worked, among others. fairy tales such as: “Ugly Duckling”, “Thumbelina” or “The Princess and the Pea”. A photo at this house was almost obligatory for seniors. 😉

After the whole day, they were a bit tired, but at the same time very satisfied with the trip, we returned to the hotel to regenerate for the last day.

The sixth and last day of our mobility was no less active than the previous ones. In the morning, all ready and ready, we set off to one of the tenement houses where only people over 69 can rent an apartment. There we met to interview the publishers of the quarterly magazine for seniors living in Malmö, “Vi tillsammans”. The ladies were very curious about what life is like for older people in Poland and how it happened that a group of Polish seniors ended up in Malmö. Our seniors eagerly shared their observations about their everyday life and compared it to Swedish everyday life. After the interview, we had a small photo session for a future article, and then we could go on one last tour of the city.

There wasn’t much time compared to the plan that the seniors and I wanted to execute, but everything turned out the way we wanted. So we had the pleasure of eating lunch within the walls of Malmöhus Castle, visiting the Museum of Technology and Maritime Navigation and receiving certificates for participation in group mobility carried out as part of the “Senior open to the World” project.

After such an active marathon, we returned to the hotel to collect our luggage and went to the airport to wave goodbye to the city of Malmö.

This mobility was a great dose of physical activity for everyone and an unforgettable experience that will remain in our memories forever.

The organizers of the project “Senior open to the world” No. 2022-1-PL01-KA122-ADU-000071920 have just returned from a preparatory visit to Sweden. The stay of people coordinating the project was aimed at the best possible preparation for the mobility of adults in Malmo. Getting acquainted with: the EU Mobility host organization, the city and “day rooms” for Swedish seniors, etc. – all in order to be able to organize mobility for Polish seniors in the best possible way, which will take place in May this year.

After the visit, it’s time for detailed mobility plans. We are sure that the activities and attractions we are preparing will appeal to our seniors!