At 67, Maria had to move back home with her sister Miranda, but she refused to accept it quietly. She demanded a meeting with the city's social services director and fought hard to be readmitted to the socio-educational center. «I couldn't stay at home with Miranda anymore,» she said. «It's just cleaning and tidying. I need joy. I need to walk around the city, to dance. I'll waste away sitting at home.»
Not everyone has a voice to speak up. Not everyone has a supportive family or a well-trained guardian to advocate for them. Some people simply submit to decisions made by others on their behalf. Alberto was discharged at 67. Months later, his guardian removed him from the community where he lived and placed him in a nursing home. He died there two years later—crushed by despair more than disease. Battistina is 79 and has attended the Anffas center in Trieste since it opened. At 65, she was pressured to leave and move into elderly services. Fortunately, her town of Muggia resisted pushing so hard. Battistina is stubborn; even now, she refuses to accept the forced retirement they keep trying to impose.
To meet these urgent needs, we brought a proposal to the city of Trieste: "La Piazzetta," a socio-recreational center designed for disabled people who have grown old.
Our cooperative, Integrazione Trieste—operating under the Anffas banner—has worked in the city since 1961. Between 1996 and 1998, we opened our first socio-educational center to ensure that people could continue rehabilitation and vocational training even after age 35. But these centers too have an age cutoff: 65. For people like Maria, Alberto, and Battistina, that meant leaving the place that had become central to their lives.
Our innovative project is grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We believe people should be able to keep attending the same center they've come to know, preserving the friendships and bonds built over years, and maintaining the skills and independence they've worked to develop. They should continue to have chances for inclusion in their community and participate in social events that enrich their lives. And they deserve support in understanding and accepting the changes that age brings.
On September 17, after two years of planning, we opened—thanks to city funding for 24 months and a downtown location provided by the municipality. The center now sits within Elderly Services rather than Disability Services, but our cooperative designs the activities, employs the staff, and provides supervision.
We currently have seven people enrolled (they contribute only toward lunch costs)—four from our own services and three from elsewhere. La Piazzetta operates Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and provides transportation for everyone. «I'm happy here with you,» Dario says. «It feels like home. I make coffee. I talk about when I was young. Is there anyone who wants to play cards? I've got nobody else. But here—it's like family.»
Much remains to be done. Many more people need adequate services. In 2018, age cannot be an excuse for discrimination. We cannot passively accept that disabled older people are handed down prefab solutions just because "we found them a service." We must refuse to give up. We must think creatively and boldly. We must seek allies in our community. We must let the people themselves guide us. Maria, Alberto, and Battistina showed us the way—with unstoppable force and clarity.
(Excerpt from remarks delivered at the Anffas conference "60 Years of Future," November 2018)