Often, in social care institutions, providing residents with “free time” becomes a screen behind which nothing actually happens. We thus swing between two extremes: institutionalized people don’t need leisure time, or we offer “unlimited” leisure time to cover for the lack of a healthy daily structure.
Another area of life, no less important, is spending leisure time. What we want to introduce into the lifestyle of people with disabilities is respecting and meeting the needs related to all three areas of life independently. As an idea, the three areas of life must be lived as such — the wishes related to each must be fulfilled individually.
The ALSTERCLUB offer is based on this concept. At first, Alsterclub was a leisure offer organized outside the housing domain, aimed only at people with disabilities from the Alsterdorf Association’s homes. Here, recreational activities, dance evenings, film screenings, themed meetings are organized, various events are celebrated, or outings, visits and trips into town are arranged. We’ve recently expanded the group of participants, also inviting people with disabilities from other locations or institutions, or even from families. So, we warmly invite and look forward with particular interest to the participation of other people in Alsterclub too. It takes place once a week, on Wednesdays, between 17:00 and 20:00.
We also organize, for the residents of our homes, outings into town, attendance at religious services, day trips to Băile Felix, to the city’s swimming pools, or multi-day trips to various places around the county.