Senior developers bringing Christmas cheer to senior citizens
Exciting news: we have joined the ranks of Gubbe sponsors! Gubbe is a provider of non-medical elderly services that pair elderly persons with younger companions who will assist the senior citizen in their weekly chores and outdoor activities. Everybody wins: the seniors get some company as well as help while the juniors get a meaningful part-time job.
Although even our senior developers still have a lot more work to do before their retirement days, we all want our golden years to be as happy as possible. Unfortunately, the lives of those who took the earlier boomer train are often quite lonely. Gubbe informs us that in Finland many senior citizens suffer from loneliness and depression. Every other day, one elderly person commits suicide.
We decided not only to talk the talk, but also walk the walk. This year, we’re bringing some Christmas glee to the lonely elderly with limited means. And that’s not all, folks: at the same time, we’ll be providing one young person with a meaningful part-time job for half a year.
“By sponsoring a senior citizen, we wanted to spread some Christmas cheer and lend a helping hand to those seniors who are lonely. It also gave us the opportunity to simultaneously help out some young people too,” says our Beloved Commodore Marko Saaresto.
Here’s how the sponsoring works:
Gubbe, together with public home care services, will seek out one or several senior citizens with limited means who suffer from loneliness.
Gubbe will pair each senior with a young friend, known as a ‘gubbe’. The young person will be introduced to the work and provided with continuous support. And what’s more, they’ll even get paid! This may be the young person’s first job, which will help in combating social exclusion.
The young person will visit the senior citizen on a weekly basis. The gubbe will provide assistance in everyday chores, such as housework or IT problems, encourage the senior to get some fresh air or just be present and lend a sympathetic ear – what ever the elderly person wants at a given moment.
The people at Gubbe have promised to send us a monthly updates on how our sponsored senior is doing, so stay tuned to our social media platforms for more news in the future!