“Just say hello,” comes the sound from the speakers in the Merope meeting room. A group of seniors know René Froger’s song like it was yesterday and sing along to a tune. The elderly have come together to move to music. It is one of the many activities for which local residents come together in the communal space of Thuiszorg West-Brabant in the Warande district.
This very first edition of Bewegen op Maat was immediately well attended. Godelieve Matthijssen from the home care organization is very enthusiastic. “Here we can bring the residents together.”
The brand new meeting center, in the middle of the neighborhood, was opened last fall. This was desperately needed, because local residents had to make do without their own place for years.
A previous meeting room on Zonneplein closed its doors four years ago, because the subsidy from the municipality of Bergen op Zoom was reduced. In addition, the corona pandemic made it difficult to stay afloat financially.
Thuiszorg West-Brabant jumped into the gap and put their shoulders to the wheel to open Merope. Local resident Truus (85) is very happy with this. “The place to gather with neighbors was missed,” she reflects. “I saw people really getting lonely.”
“We hope that people can live healthily and independently for longer.”
It’s not just about loneliness. Merope should also be a place to take care of each other. Welfare and care organizations offer accessible support. “We are located in the middle of the neighborhood, which makes us visible, accessible and approachable,” Matthijssen explains.
“We can see here more quickly if something is going badly for someone and respond accordingly,” she continues. “We hope that people will be able to live healthily and independently for longer.”
An average of 25 people now attend the activities organized in Merope, such as the exercise afternoons and the joint lunch with healthcare workers.
The meeting center shows the important strength in the neighborhood, where the quality of life has been under pressure for years. Youth nuisance and crime often make the news. “Local residents must feel again that this is their neighborhood,” says Matthijssen.
“Because of everything that is organized here, I now have to buy an agenda.”
Harry (90) comes to Merope almost every day to exchange the latest news with other local residents while enjoying a cup of coffee. “I always receive a warm welcome here,” he says. “This place really creates connection.”
Truus (85) agrees with that. “Because of everything that is organized here, I now have to buy an agenda,” she laughs. Together with Yvonne (65), she started a craft club, where local residents make cards together. The ladies enjoy getting to know other residents from Warande in this way. “We come here at least once a week,” says Yvonne. “That’s very nice.”
Matthijssen is happy to see that local residents are starting initiatives in the meeting room. This also shows the resilience in the neighborhood. “If we are more in tune with people’s wishes, they will also be more inclined to come here.” The meeting space should provide more connection in Warande.
After waltzing, ‘square dancing’ and walking for a while without a walker, it is time for the seniors to sit down for a breathing exercise. “In through the nose and out through the mouth.” For the residents of Warande, Merope is the place where they can literally catch their breath every day.
Pop-up editorial team Warande and Gageldonk
Reporters from Omroep Brabant were present in Warande and Gageldonk from Tuesday, March 3 to Thursday, March 5. On Wednesday, March 4, you could find us between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM in the Merope meeting center of Thuiszorg West-Brabant at Zonneplein 62 in Bergen op Zoom. Did you miss us? Then email your story to: [email protected]
