In the thick of it - even in old age!

In the thick of it - even in old age! Under this working title, representatives of the city of Beckum, the multi-generation house Mütterzentrum (Mothers' Centre), the social office HIN and committed Beckum residents have joined forces to do something against old-age poverty and loneliness in old age.

2 June 2023
Working Group Right in the Middle
  • Back row from left: Tessa Rentrup-Wintergalen (Multigenerational House Mothers' Centre), Herbert Essmeier, Eggi Steinhoff Centre from left: Karin Steinhoff, Heike Denner (City of Beckum) Front row from left: Karina Benjilany (Senior Citizens and Volunteer Coordinator of the City of Beckum), Ludger Schlotmann (St. Stephanus Parish). Missing are Erwin Wierer and Klaus Wanger (HIN social welfare office)

The occasion was a WDR radio programme about the Lichtblick Seniorenhilfe association in Münster and its commitment to giving older people aged 60 and over with limited financial resources the opportunity to participate in social life. This can take the form of immediate assistance, but also monthly sponsorships. The prerequisite is an age of 60 years or older and a payment into the German pension system.

Karin Steinhoff from Beckum immediately realised that she wanted to support this group and looked for like-minded people. This commitment is gladly supported by the social services department of the town of Beckum.

When drinking coffee is a luxury
Simply treating yourself to something, going for a coffee, enjoying an ice cream at the ice cream parlour, a visit to the hairdresser or a manicure, going to the theatre or simply buying something new to wear. For many people, especially older people, this is a luxury. This is why Karin Steinhoff and her working group agree that something must be done to combat poverty in old age and that this issue must be brought more into the public eye. With their commitment to society, the older people in our midst deserve the respect of their fellow human beings and, above all, the right to age with dignity and not be excluded due to a lack of financial resources.

Lichblick Seniorenhilfe
The newly founded group received lots of information and tips in an informative exchange with Andrea Moraldo from the Lichtblick Seniorenhilfe association. The working group then started to hand out the application forms for emergency aid at important contact points, such as the social welfare office, the housing benefit office, doctors' surgeries and advice centres. They are also always looking for people who would like to sponsor an elderly person from the region for 35 euros. The working group will be happy to put you in touch with the association (homepage https://seniorenhilfe-lichtblick.de/buero-muenster/).

Help with applying for benefits
Karina Benjilany from the Social Services Department of the town of Beckum, Tessa Rentrup-Wintergalen from the Multigenerational House Mothers' Centre, the Neubeckum Leisure Centre and the HIN Social Services Office provide assistance with applications.

Loneliness in old age is another topic
In a further step, the working group would like to take a closer look at the topic of loneliness in old age. The coronavirus pandemic in particular has increased the risk of loneliness for many people. Targeted programmes are intended to counteract this development.

Numerous offers
In this context, the town of Beckum draws attention to the numerous offers for senior citizens, some of which are free of charge. Information is available on the senior citizens page or from Karina Benjilany, 02521 29-5014.

And finally, the working group is calling on people to pass on the information: Anyone who knows someone, whether in the neighbourhood, in the family or among acquaintances, to whom the issues of poverty in old age and/or loneliness apply, should pass on this information and perhaps also accompany this person to a first meeting so that the inhibition threshold is not too high.