A weekly European coffee group is bringing residents from countries across Europe together
at Glendale aged care in Werribee..
For an hour and a half every Saturday residents from Italy, Malta, Croatia, Germany, Spain
and Argentina living at the home gather with their families in the dining room for
coffee, cake and a chance to connect over their European heritage.
Glendale’s Giovanna Grasso says the aim of the group is to bring residents from different
areas of the home together and says that when they do it’s like one big happy family. Having
shared language and cultural backgrounds means some residents who previously were
reluctant to join group events now eagerly look forward to the gathering every week.
“The residents who come love it; they have such a wonderful time. Some of them can speak
the same language, and some can’t, but when they come together it’s like one big happy
family,” she says.
“Maria, who is 94 and comes from Italy, even waits for me every Saturday to pick her up from
her room and hurries me along so she can get to the group.”
Resident Nicola loves the chance to reminisce on his youth in Italy with people from a similar
background.
“I look forward to the get together so I can tell my stories of when I was young and show
images of Italy to the other residents,” he says.
