the essentials With 200 workshops and nearly 2,000 participants over the year, the Guichet Atout seniors seems to be fulfilling its objectives. A godsend for the town hall, which has just launched its “senior-friendly city” project.
With its sports workshops, the Guichet Atout séniors, attached to the Communal Center for Social Action and Health (CCASS), allows its members to “age in good health and to flourish”. The assumed objective is to maintain the autonomy of the elderly and to postpone their departure to a retirement home as much as possible.
More than sports
However, these activities cannot be reduced to their original purpose. According to the participants of the wellness basketball course, “the atmosphere is great” and everyone is “having a blast”. A total of twenty-four one-hour sessions were held during the year. Marie-Pierre Heuillet, the teacher, specifies that you don’t have to have done basketball before or be athletic to come to her class. Beyond the sporting activity, a real solidarity is established between the elders. Arnaud Simion, first deputy mayor and delegate for human solidarity, is delighted with the “social and generational mix” visible in the workshops of the Guichet Atout seniors. Christelle Garcia, manager of the system, underlines the work carried out on memory, motor skills and self-confidence. She remarks that “activities like wellness basketball are ways to be an actor in your aging”.
“Have the senior reflex”
More generally, the issue of the autonomy of seniors is political. The municipality clearly targets seniors through the “age-friendly city” project. According to Arnaud Simion, “you have to have the senior reflex everywhere, all the time”. As such, the Guichet Atout séniors is a way to keep in touch with older people. This year, nearly 2,000 inhabitants were able to benefit from the Guichet workshops. At the start of the school year, the objective will be to attract even more seniors, in particular with new workshops such as the “senior biathlon”.
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