Seniors from the municipality of Altena sit anxiously behind the geraniums in winter. Many of them do not dare to go outside because some roads are very slippery. The gritter cannot enter the car-free streets. According to Senior Platform Altena, a solution would be if seniors gritted the roads themselves.
“People over the age of eighty are now the victims. As a municipality, you can take care of that,” says chairman Ad de Graaf of Altena Senior Platform. He finds it distressing that many seniors in his municipality do not dare to go out in the winter.
That is why the elderly organization wants the municipality of Altena to make sand and salt available in lockable boxes at seniors’ homes during the cold winter months, where gritters cannot reach.
‘Young’ seniors
The idea is that ‘young’ seniors can take part in anti-slip measures by appointment. According to De Graaf, there is no need to fear that they will suffer broken bones.
“There are plenty of people over 70 who are still on the move. They can do that,” he says.
Financing
One problem: the municipality of Altena has no budget to make materials and personnel available. “Alderman Claudia Schipper (CDA) told us that salt is very cheap and we can also pay for it ourselves,” says De Graaf.
The seniors platform has been referred by the councilor to one of the three area directors. They can help get the initiative to the right department. “But for the time being we have received no requests,” says De Graaf. “It’s going to be a long-term thing.”
Alternatives
This winter, the seniors in the municipality of Altena are therefore still without salt and sand and once again with very slippery roads. But De Graaf doesn’t want them to stay indoors because of this. “Then we have to come up with something else,” he says belligerently.
The senior platform is now thinking about alternatives. For example, there are senior organizations that pick up the elderly at home when the streets are slippery. “Or they walk between two arms. I’m going to see what I can do so that they can still go outside this winter.”