Austria, August 2021
Know Thyself as Soul Austria West decided to offer attention to a nursing home’s residents who hardly receive any visitors. The management of the nursing home in Haslach in Upper Austria provided valuable guidance on how to bring joy to each one of these elderly residents. This motivated us to design individualized cards with inspirational messages.
On our first visit, we arrived with beautiful white flowering orchids, handmade cards, and small gifts. The elderly were all pleasantly surprised. Some of them could not believe that someone would visit them and even bring small gifts.
They showed their joy by telling us about their lives. Even a very elderly lady, who hardly talks and had a birthday that day, shared her appreciation with a hearty “Beautiful!”
During our second visit we visited the same residents in their rooms. Most of them were very happy as we continued the previous conversations. We again brought handmade cards as well as stories and songs accompanied by a guitar. The seniors were particularly impressed by the musical contributions.
Once again it was a very nice experience. We also noticed during this second visit that the interactions were deepened and a certain level of mutual trust established. We look forward to our next visits.
