Election period 2015 - 2019

Text: Dr Harald Lütkemeier

The Bördeland Seniors' Council organised the 3rd Seniors' Day in cooperation with the Volkssolidarität Regionalverband Elbe-Saale and the unified municipalities of Barby, Bördeland and Calbe (Saale). The Sunday afternoon in the Eggersdorf leisure centre, which was attended by around 400 senior citizens, was an opportunity to exchange ideas and, above all, to have fun and good entertainment.

Mayor Bernd Nimmich, as the host, opened the social gathering of older people together with Rosemarie Ziem, Chairwoman of the District Seniors' Council. The mayor assured the seniors' council of his continued support. Rosemarie Ziem thanked her team, the local politicians, District Administrator Markus Bauer and the Minister for Social Affairs Petra Grimm-Benne, who arrived a little later, on behalf of the District Seniors' Council for their constant support for the work of senior citizens and not least for the work of the Seniors' Councils. In his welcoming address, District Administrator Markus Bauer expressed his thanks and appreciation and encouraged those present to continue to help shape the beautiful Salzland district with clever ideas and enthusiasm. The municipality of Bördeland is a good example of this. The Minister also expressed her appreciation and supported the further development of the senior citizens' councils.

The highlights of the event were the awards presented to the Eggersdorf care centre "Pflegedienst Lebensgeister" for its many years of great commitment with the certificate as a "senior-friendly facility" and the day care centre "5 Sinne" with the seal of quality by the chairwoman of the district senior citizens' council. Much has been achieved in recent years for the care and nursing of elderly citizens in the municipality of Eggersdorf. Team leader Ramona Babock thanked them for their all-round support in caring for the elderly and disabled.

The handover of a donation of 500 euros from the proceeds of the 1st joint children's festival by Mayor Nimmich to the coordinator of the wish wagon Luisa Garthof from the Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB) Magdeburg was also highly appreciated. Mrs Garthof thanked everyone for their great support, also on behalf of the wishers and wish granters. There are 21 wish wagons throughout Germany, financed exclusively by donations and sponsors and organised by volunteers. Special wishes are fulfilled here for people in the last phase of their lives. The converted vehicle with the information stand was very popular with visitors and many questions were asked.

The meeting is characterised by the exchange of experiences, to further stimulate the work of the senior citizens' councils and to honour the voluntary work of the citizens. Members of various organisations, associations and groups want to work together for the benefit of older people to further improve their quality of life and take bold new steps.

The guests enjoyed the varied programme with the challenging performances by the Röhnrad group from the "Am Lerchenfeld" primary and secondary school in Schönebeck and the vocal performances by Luise Baak. The photo exhibition organised by the Eggersdorf culture and heritage association with an insight into Eggersdorf's club life also attracted a lot of attention. Information stands from the Volkssolidarität and the Seniors' Council were happy to provide information, and exhibits from the "Creative" interest group were on offer.

The Köthen town brass band provided atmospheric music and dancing. There were many conversations and reunions between senior citizens from the unified communities. The good feeling of living and being heard in the Salzland district is particularly important. The aim of the event, to thank the many older people for their many years of work in the associations and also in the local groups of the Volkssolidarität, was achieved.

Text: Dr Harald Lütkemeier

The members of the Salzland District Senior Citizens' Advisory Council met with representatives of the Egeln Association of Municipalities at the clubhouse in Westeregeln to discuss current issues relating to work with senior citizens. After Rosemarie Ziem, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board, outlined some of the main focuses, concerns and objectives of the board, Dagmar Witzke, Deputy Mayor of the Association of Municipalities, introduced the mayors of the member municipalities present and the work of the senior citizens in the Association of Municipalities. A wide range of activities became apparent here, from regular meetings on topics relevant to senior citizens in the existing attractive meeting centres, interesting bus trips to the surrounding region and care in the senior citizens' residence in Egeln. Peter Fries, Mayor of Unseburg and Tarthun, and Reinhard Luckner, Mayor of Egeln, emphasised the great voluntary commitment of the Volkssolidarität and associations as well as the dedicated efforts of Frank Habich, a member of the district senior citizens' council since July last year, to form senior citizens' councils in the member municipalities. Frank Habich seeks contact with senior citizens in the localities, brings citizens' concerns to local council meetings and looks for fellow campaigners for this important voluntary work. In his report on his work, there is a great deal of optimism and determination to form senior citizens' councils, thanks to the support he has received from the mayors.

The exchange of experiences focused on improving mobility, health care, social and cultural support for older citizens, good interaction between old and young, age-appropriate living and the effectiveness of the work of senior citizens' centres. The members of the District Senior Citizens' Council were able to share their experiences from their day-to-day work in their areas of activity and some effective results were presented.

In accordance with the annual work plan of the District Seniors' Council, further meeting points are planned in the municipalities of the Salzland district with key topics and projects in constant dialogue with the Salzland district administration. A special highlight will be the 3rd Seniors' Day on 30 June at the Eggersdorf Sports and Leisure Centre.

The District Seniors' Council is made up of one representative from each of the single municipalities and municipalities in the Salzland district and meets regularly. Its aim is to keep the interests of the older generation present in social discourse and thus represent the interests of senior citizens. Consultations in health facilities and associations are also attended by members of the advisory board and analysed accordingly. The advisory board receives the full support of the district administrator and his administrative staff in the implementation of the district's work with senior citizens.

Text: Dr Harald Lütkemeier

In mid-December, representatives of the Salzland District Seniors' Advisory Council visited the "Kiez am Südbogen" neighbourhood of the Bernburg housing association. The senior citizens' representatives were warmly welcomed by Annett Pankotsch, Chairwoman of Kiez -Cafe`e.V., and informed about the association's voluntary work in the neighbourhood. "The senior citizens always have a contact person here with the nine-member board and run the café themselves," says Annett Pankotsch. Many joint activities and diverse offers in the available rooms are gladly accepted. These include the neighbouring hairdressing salon, the nail salon and a service and senior citizens' service. These four commercial units form the marketplace in the centre of the residential area, which is supplied daily with food by "flying traders" and serves as a central contact point and meeting place. "The marketplace is well received", as the representatives of the district senior citizens' council were able to see for themselves.

During a tour, Mr Stefan Beer, authorised signatory of Wohnungsgenossenschaft e.V., informed the district's senior citizens' representatives about the extensive construction work on site. A total of 71 residential units are being built, divided into 3 apartment blocks with 21 residential units each and 2 terraced house complexes with 4 residential units each. A tour of the almost completed flats revealed a very high standard of senior-friendly living. Barrier-free construction, underfloor heating, floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies, bathrooms with shower and bath, two washbasins and spacious lifts and staircases in the apartment blocks. The living spaces are offered from approx. 50 to 120 square metres to suit individual requirements. Each flat has a terrace or balcony, as well as a cellar and garage space. The residential area has a park and pond, a communal garden with raised beds for individual leisure activities.

The tour was followed by a lively exchange of experiences between the advisory board members and Stefan Beer on age-appropriate forms of housing. Beer emphasised: "The demand is enormous, especially for two-room flats (approx. 50 sqm), and there are already waiting lists." The rental price of EUR 8.50/sqm with these quality standards is accepted. The conditions created, such as high energy efficiency for low ancillary costs of less than two EUR/sqm, are very important.

According to Beer, a key foundation of the housing cooperative's solid profitability is the trusting, forward-looking cooperation with its housing users, partner companies and the local authority. Constant, up-to-date communication strengthens the cohesion and sense of responsibility of the cooperative's members.

"It is an important concern of the senior citizens' representatives to help shape current issues of demographic development such as mobility, healthcare and maintaining social contacts". It is therefore particularly important to get to know good local experiences and pass them on to the senior citizens' advisory councils in the various municipalities, the representatives of the senior citizens' advisory council summarise their concerns. To this end, following the exchange of experiences at the members' meeting, a number of specific plans for the new year were discussed with on-site appointments in some municipalities and objectives agreed.

Text: Dr Harald Lütkemeier

The members of the Salzland district senior citizens' council were recently invited to a meeting by the district administrator. Topics relevant to senior citizens were on the agenda at the "end of the year". Accessibility, age-appropriate living, mobility and services of general interest in rural areas were the main topics. The senior citizens discussed with the head of administration the question of how the environment will change in the future and what developments need to be prepared for.

"We want to make it a tradition that we always meet shortly before Christmas and look back, but also look to the future," explained District Administrator Markus Bauer to the District Seniors' Council. In particular, he emphasised that the voluntary work could not be appreciated enough and thanked the senior citizens for their constructive cooperation. The Seniors' Council is also an "important link to the communities and between the generations". There are many opportunities to be exploited in this area of tension, as was evident from the contributions of the individual members. During the discussion on the annual review, it became clear that senior citizens are getting involved in shaping their communities. "More and more" is how Werner Kühner, Chairman of the Seniors' Advisory Council, assesses the number of activities in the individual towns and municipalities.

Rosemarie Ziem used the example of the very successful first Seniors' Day in the municipality of Bördeland in June to demonstrate the many opportunities for constructive cooperation with the municipalities and their senior citizens. Hella Friedrich from the Nienburg Seniors' Council was also able to confirm this with the results achieved this year. Annemarie Rockmann from the Aschersleben Seniors' Advisory Council reported on local inspections, the many requirements for improving accessibility, but also on the indispensable close contact between seniors and the younger generation in the communities. This year, she was honoured as a Salzlandfrau for her many years of voluntary work. Peter Maier from the Staßfurt Senior Citizens' Council mentioned the positive experiences of senior citizens with the emergency aid pass, drew attention to the repair backlog in the kindergartens and honoured the commitment of the Sparkasse and the fire brigade with the installation of 100 benches in Staßfurt.

Mobility and services of general interest was an important topic in the discussion round, which will also be of particular concern to the district seniors' council in the coming year. As a model region in Germany, the Salzland district will continue to work on the "Mobile Marketplace" funding project from the federal rural development programme. The senior citizens' councils want to contribute their experience and suggestions to the development of viable solutions. The aim is to use local initiatives to enable social participation in the future, especially for senior citizens in rural areas.

The meeting ended with good wishes for the new year 2018. On behalf of all senior citizens in the Salzland district, the district administrator wished the senior citizens' councils "a wonderful and blessed Christmas with their families". It is important to the 46-year-old "that the achievements of the older generation are recognised and appreciated". The councillors emphasised the good cooperation.

Markus Bauer cited the three "Ws" in his outlook. "Working together to establish the Salzland district as a successful business, residential and science location" is something he will continue to pursue in 2018 thanks to the support he has received.

The committee consists of one representative from each of the single and association municipalities and meets regularly. The aim is to keep the interests of the older generation present in social discourse and thus represent the interests of senior citizens.