Young and old stand up for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. This also applies to residents of the Lâle Buurstede nursing home in Oosterhout. This is extra special because residents of the residential group for Turkish elderly often suffer from dementia. Their homemade traditional Turkish delicacies are selling like hot cakes on Tuesday.
Resident Yildiz Duman stirs a pan with traditional helva tatli. She explains that making food is part of it when people die. You do that for each other. The woman lives in Lâle Buurstede. This is a residential group for Turkish elderly people where she receives the necessary guidance and care that fits her Turkish background.
The earthquake unleashed a lot among the elderly in the nursing home. Duman is sorry about what happened. Making snacks is something she can do concretely. The employees of the home also often have Turkish roots. They decided to take action, together with the residents.
“When I heard it, I couldn’t sleep anymore. I saw the images on TV and prayed.”
“The subject is very much alive here, both residents and employees have family or acquaintances living in the disaster area. Collecting money is something we can do, it would be great if we raised five thousand euros with this campaign,” says care manager Joost van der Pluijm.
Resident Nergiz Kozkaya also says while stirring in a pan that she is shocked by the news. “When I heard it, I couldn’t sleep. I saw the images on TV and prayed. I have to do something anyway.” Her brother went to Turkey from Germany. She has relatives in the earthquake zone.
All the baking and cooking results in tables full of trays and dishes of delicacies. Everyone is welcome to buy dishes and donations are generous. A boy proudly tells that he donated money together with his brother.
A mother explains that her children turned over the piggy bank for the victims of the earthquake. “People in Turkey have nothing left, this is something we can do for them. The children also participate. They donated some of their savings, I think it’s a great campaign.”
