“Hurry up to do something good.” This is the idea promoted by the members of the “Varsta de Argint” (Silver Age”) Senior Citizen Group, Cajba Village, Glodeni District, in their activity. Initially, we started as a vocal ensemble, and later, after we saw the experience of the senior citizen group from Balatina, we realized we were eager to be involved in another sort of activities we could cope with, and that would make the life of the elderly people in our village more beautiful, healthier, and more meaningful. The group’s first activity was identifying the local elderly people’s care needs and discussing the issue of hiring a social assistant and a nurse who would visit these senior citizens at their homes and provide the necessary care. The local council was receptive to this issue, and that was how the CASMED services started in the locality.

We were eager to grow as a team and to develop as many skills for working with the elderly as possible; therefore, over time, we took part all the training and experience-sharing activities organized by CASMED AO (PA) for us and other similar groups in the region whenever we had a chance.

The SSG members are very receptive to the community issues and get involved in various activities such as visits to lonely elderly people’s homes, Easter and Christmas gift packages, landscaping in the village center, taking care of the roundabout territory, food and handicraft exhibitions held on various holidays, etc. We do not forget about the cultural activity and leisure, either. We take trips to enjoy the nature, collect medicinal plants, have picnics, and celebrate the SSG members’ birthdays; last but not least, we take part in all the cultural activities in our locality. This is how we keep discovering that life is beautiful, interesting, and meaningful when you’re 50+ and 60+. Everything we do fills our hearts with joy and satisfaction and inspires us to become even better in the future, to promote the concept of active aging, and to attract as many volunteers as possible to have more people who will follow our path.

The group’s biggest problem was the lack of premises for our meetings: we had to meet at the Public Library in the village, but practicing our activities at this institution was often inconvenient. In the summer of 2020, at the group members’ insistence, we were offered a fairly spacious room at the local cultural center. We were heard and supported by the LPA, and we would like to thank the mayor and the local councilors for their understanding and the financial support provided for the capital renovation of the premises.

This achievement of ours was followed by another one. The group’s headquarters had to be furnished, and the most active SSG members were involved in a project within the “Stancile Prutului” (“Rocks of the Prut”) Local Initiative Group. This is how we filed and won the project “Creating Premises and Integrating Elderly People in the Public Life of the Community,” Cajba Village, as part of a larger project which helped us see our dream come true – to have a place of our own, where we can gather and start our great initiatives.

Author: Tamara Pascaru, “Varsta de Argint” (Silver Age”) SSG Coordinator, Cajba Village