“If you had one wish…what would you spend it on?” » This is how one of the letters sent by Asier, 9 years old and Member of Hiru Hamabi (Association of Acquired Brain Injuries of Minors) to his “postal grandfather” of the Association of Retirees and St George Pensioners.
A correspondence they had 12 minors with acquired brain injuries and 12 retired for a year and which then resulted in two emotional meetings.
A relationship, framed in the meeting program CONECTA2 intergenerationalwhich includes an exhibition at Civivox San Jorge for two weeks to mark this month’s celebration of World Day of Older Persons (October 1) and World Acquired Head Injury Day (October 26).
The exhibition captures in images and fragments of letters “the impact that this relationship had on elderly people who, with their experience and well done “They lovingly support disabled minors who appreciate their company and advice.”
CONNECT2 It all started with a letter of introduction from each miner to the designated retiree, who responded with another letter arriving a month later in the sender’s mailbox.
A postal conversation in which they shared tastes, experiences, advice or confidences and which adults and children awaited with great enthusiasm, a correspondence which was then completed by two intergenerational meetings at the CONVIVE social center of the Caja Navarra Foundation.
In this way, last June The older ones taught the younger ones to make keyrings and pendants in an activity “full of emotion and affection” as they put a face to months of postal connection.
Overall, the program “encourages intergenerational communicationcreating a bridge between two seemingly different worlds, but with a lot in common”, in addition to offering both groups benefits in areas such as motor skills, memory or emotional health.
“For the minors of the association, this program means recovering waiting times in a society like the current one where immediacy prevails. They also work on abilities such as reading, writing and fine motor skills which, in some cases, were affected after the injury or the ability to express oneself,” explains Lourdes Álvarez, Hiru Hamabi, social worker, Likewise, in the case of older participants, “they exercise their motor skills, their memory and their reading and writing”, but above all, “they find a space in which to feel more valued, sharing experiences, advice and values with the little ones.” those”
This initiative, supported by Government of Navarra, Pamplona City Hallthe Egues Valley Town Hall, the Caja Navarra Foundation and Sedena are part of the awareness program of Hiru Hamabi, the only association specific to acquired head trauma in children at the national level and based in Navarre. Its objective is to inform, advise and provide support spaces to families of people with childhood BL, in addition to launching actions to raise awareness of the problems and needs of this group.
