Gladys Helaine de Miranda da Silva: 

“What we call old age is part of our cycle of existence”

A very interesting project dedicated to the elderly (or Third Age) is being carried out in the Brazilian city of Campinas, near São Paulo
 

	Gladyz Helaine de Miranda da Silva (photo) has been a Spiritist since 1983. She was born in Rio de Janeiro state but lives in Campinas, in São Paulo state, where she works as a volunteer at the Allan Kardec Spiritist Centre. She has a degree in Media Studies and is now retired. In this interview, she talks about the “Tecendo a Vida” (“Sowing Life”)
project, aimed at elderly people.  What does the “Tecendo a Vida” programme consist of?

It is a programme aimed at people in what we call in Brazil the Third Age – old age – but open to anyone willing to join. We always have young people around us in the project. It was set up in 2009, aimed at working people’s emotions, feelings and encouraging new friendship bonds and experience sharing. I came up with the idea of setting up the group as I always had a special connection with older people, since I was a child. I also noticed that our Spiritist Centre did not have a group dedicated specifically to older people. “Tecendo a Vida” is not an aid or assistance group. Its main goal is to make the elderly feel appreciated, to realise that they have so much to give after such long, beautiful lives. They are important references in our lives. 

How many people take part in general? How often does the group meet? 

We have on average 35 to 40 people attending our meetings, which take place once a month, on a Saturday, from 15:00 to 17:00. We would like to have more meetings, but we do not have the space at our Spiritist Centre, where all the rooms are taken by other activities. Our monthly meetings always end with a nice lunch. 

Could you mention a particular experience that took place as a result of this project? 

There have been so many, but I could highlight a few ones. We have in our group a man who sleeps rough, in the streets, and has told us repeatedly how important the group is to keep him going. There is also a gentleman who has schizophrenia and has told us that only after joining the group he has been able to express himself. There is an older lady who wrote to us saying that thanks to her participation in the group she was able to forgive her husband before he passed away. There were also two people who met here, widowers, and have moved to the seaside now and are very happy. We have all been moved and have learned from so many experiences in this group. But there is one important aspect I would like to underline: everyone that takes part in this group feels appreciated, well looked after and are awaken to the importance and potential of their lives. They realise how much they can still do. 

Tell us about the workshop you have called Chest of Memories. 

We carry out several workshops, specific group activities. The Chest of Memories is one of them. Each one in our group is given the opportunity to bring an object they have at home and talk about the memories it brings, its importance in their lives. We bring a chest to the room and everyone puts an object inside. They then pick one object up and talk about it. It is wonderful to observe the feelings and emotions in the room, the tears for the missing ones, the lessons learned. And it must be said that so far no one has come up with an object that brings negative emotions to them. 

What is in your opinion the main benefit for those who take part in the “Tecendo a Vida” project? 

It is the joy in their eyes, in their smiles. It is the fact that they begin to see this phase of their lives in a more positive life, as they understand that what we call old age is part of our cycle of existence. I realise how happy they get when they are able to share all those memories with everyone else. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

In 2011, we got together with the Municipal Council for the Elderly in Campinas and the prestigious Catholic University (PUC) of Campinas to set up a manual with information that is relevant to the elderly. Our group is the only one that is linked to a Spiritist Centre, but there are other amazing projects and groups being carried out in the city. We are happy to be giving a small contribution. We bring at least one professional of a relevant are to each one of our meetings, be it a nutritionist, a philosopher, fitness trainers etc. We hope our group carries on strong and that other people get interested in expanding the work and setting up their own projects for the elderly. I am available and willing to share all the expertise I have acquired along the years. Finally, thank you very much for the opportunity of talking about our work in this interview.