Fast lane?
"In old age, the fast lane is clear." So says Swiss author and aphorist Kurt Haberstich.
For me, the word "fast lane" is associated with speed, fast driving, competition. "Fast lane" in connection with "old age" doesn't quite fit for me. Because I enjoy being a little less fast, a little more leisurely on the road. Of course, I don't lose sight of staying alert and interested in life. I'm active, volunteer, politically active and still want to face challenges in some way. But faster?
Getting older has shown me how I can try to keep my work-life balance in balance. I've tried to question whether everything always has to be higher, better and faster - and realized that it's not necessary. Do I have to do everything in order to be there? I will never achieve everything I have dreamed of in my life. However, there are still many opportunities to take a closer look at old and new things in my life, to try them out and enjoy them.
The attitude of other senior citizens proves me right: they want to get involved, e.g. with Seniors@Work, but no longer subject themselves to the strict rules of the normal working environment, preferring instead to pass on their knowledge and expertise on a selective basis. Cherry-picking? So what! Anyone who has been involved in the work process for so many years can look forward to a little more freedom.
Beatrice
I took the trouble to find out how many of the 100 members of the Grand Council are of retirement age. I counted a total of 17 men and 2 women who are already of retirement age. That makes 19 % of the cantonal parliament.
Let's compare this with the resident population of the canton of Basel-Stadt: At the end of 2018, the canton had a population of 200,256. Of these, 38,844 were over 65 years old. What a surprise: that's 19.4 %!
My personal opinion is that people of AHV age are adequately represented in the Basel cantonal parliament - even if the proportion of retired women could certainly be increased!
Beatrice Messerli, a member of the Grand Council from the Green Alliance parliamentary group, has the honor of being the oldest woman in the Grand Council. I asked her where she sees the advantages of having a say in parliament as a retired teacher after 41 years in the service of schools.
Beatrice Messerli says that she now has more time for political work in the Council and probably less operational blindness for the school, even though she is still very close to her former colleagues.
She admires her young female council colleagues who are able to juggle a parliamentary mandate alongside their family and career. After all, working in the Grand Council is quite time-consuming and a real challenge.
In response to my comment that there are too few retired women in parliament, Beatrice Messerli says that she wishes women the courage they need to take on a role in politics after retirement.
And what does Beatrice Messerli say about the Seniors@Work startup: "The website makes a totally fresh impression! Super!
If you look at the Seniors@Work homepage, you will see that Pro Senectute beider Basel is listed as one of the first cooperation partners. Pro Senectute is THE specialist and contact point for questions relating to old age. Over 130 advice centers throughout Switzerland offer a wide range of help and services for older people and their relatives. The growing number of members gives this organization the necessary background to stand up for the interests of older people and to offer them a wide range of opportunities from social work to education.
But now we wanted to know: why is Senectute beider Basel involved in Seniors@Work?
Michael Harr, Managing Director of Pro Senectute, commented as follows:
The new Seniors-at-Work online platform has been in operation since the beginning of November in collaboration with Pro Senectute beider Basel.
Thanks to "Seniors@Work" enables senior citizens to work and promotes intergenerational exchange. That is why we support Seniors@Work. Thanks to this offer, the professional potential of older, experienced people in our society can also be better utilized and the knowledge and experience of older people can be better preserved in our society.
Pro Senectute beider Basel is a partner of the online platform because we want to help to promote the satisfaction and health of senior citizens by increasing their active participation in society. be integrated.
We would like to thank Pro Senectute beider Basel for their trust and look forward to continuing our successful collaboration!
Beatrice
