A new light in the old man's eyes

Everyone wants to live long, but no one wants to be old, is the quote Abraham Lincoln. When they reach the age where they have to admit first to themselves, and then to others, that old age has knocked on their door, it's nice to have someone who will help them, with whom they can talk, share pain and silence.

In Nikšić, as well as in thirteen other municipalities in Montenegro, since 2020, hard-working geronto housewives hired by the Red Cross are bringing some new light into the homes of elderly citizens.

"They prolong the life of us old people," he says Kima Kolenovic from Nikšić, a woman with an extremely cheerful spirit, who brightens your day in just half an hour of companionship.

And her day is brightened by her Goca, Mrs. Marojević, a geronto housewife who entered her life and home in 2019.

"My Goca does everything - cleans the house, looks after me, walks with me, holds my hand so I don't fall, opens the taxi door for me and takes my hand as if I were her mother. I love that she is so smart, because it means a lot when I have someone smart to talk to, to give me guidance so that I can be like that too," says Kima as she looks at her Goca with eyes full of love and gratitude.

Spine aches, "positive on the tongue"

Kima was born in Plav in 1938, the year when "Juso covered the house".

"I asked my mother when I was born. She told me: 'When Juso was covering the house'. Where will he find Jus (laughs). Then she told me that Jus's house is under the post office and that there is a sign on it when it was built, so I can't forget when I was born," says Kima with a mischievous smile.

She came to Nikšić six decades ago, and has been a widow for 14 years. He has two married daughters and a married son, and he proudly points out what kind of children he has.

"I am a happy mother with the kind of children I have. And I'm happy that I have Goca. It means a lot to me as a family member. It suits me completely and I wouldn't change anything about her."

She was operated on, has ossification of the bones, the weaving of carpets has "warped" her spine, she says, she is only "positive on the tongue".

"My dad was a barber for 40 years, and all my brothers are hairdressers. I used to weave carpets, so I was crooked. When I was operated on I was nervous and I needed help. Then Goca started coming. It was three and a half years ago. If I was in a difficult situation and needed help outside of working hours, I would have the freedom to call her in the middle of the night," says eighty-four-year-old Kima.

Nothing without empathy

Mrs. Goca Marojević has been working as a geronto housewife for seven years. When she started working, she knew that the job was not at all easy, but also that you have to do your best to help the elderly fellow citizens, to be there for them.

"I said to myself - either I will do this job properly, or I won't do it. If you don't like this job and if you don't have empathy, then you can't do it. There will be days when it's hard for you, when you're "fuming", but when they open the door for you, smile and say: "Bless me", everything passes. All the anger and fatigue," she says.

Goca is visited by nine users, four of them have three appointments a week, and five of them have two, staying with them for an hour and a half, and sometimes longer.

"The biggest problem is when I have to go to the Health Center, to get some instructions for users, because I stay there for half a day. I have users from 79 to 103 years old. I'm glad they have the freedom to call me whenever they need me. I have a daughter, a student, who sometimes jokingly tells me: 'Please turn off that phone, because all the grandmas in Nikšić are calling you'. And that's because they have freedom towards me," says Goca.

It means a lot to visit and talk

Secretary of the Nikšić Red Cross Municipal Organization, Ana Macanović, explains that the Red Cross of Montenegro started the geronto housewives project on March 1, 2020, while before that it was under the responsibility of centers for social work, and that the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare is the project holder.

"We currently have 16 geronto housewives and around 160 users. The service turned out to be excellent. Literally every day we receive calls from users who thank us and the geronto housewives. Some even come to us to thank us personally", says Macanović.

After returning from Kima Kolenović, a surprise awaited her in the office. There were bags of almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and coffee on the table. Brought by a grateful grandmother from the geronto program.

"By visiting the users, we were convinced that this is something of the greatest importance and priority. Just that the geronto housewives meet and talk with them is great for them", says the secretary of the Nikšić Red Cross.

Big, because old age often brings with it loneliness.