# Transcript: We are all seniors ## Description Six years ago, Simona was a volunteer at a senior home. A dissatisfied volunteer. Inappropriate treatment of clients, disregard for their needs, childish activities… These were among the reasons behind Simona’s decision to “make a change.” Three years ago, she founded the MILA organization and, together with her team, runs the D.O.M.A. program, which aims to create a better environment for seniors and those who care for them. A conversation about how even one person can spark change. Who is Simona Bagarová? Simona Bagarová studied social work and has spent nearly twenty years managing non-governmental organizations. For the past three years, she has led the MILA organization, which works to systematically improve conditions for caregiving professionals and give dignity and quality meaning. Last year, her book HOŘÍM was published, featuring the five best senior caregivers she has met throughout her life. ## Transcript **[00:00:00]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:00:30]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:00]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:30]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:33]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:36]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:39]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:42]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:45]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:48]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:51]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:54]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:01:57]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:00]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:03]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:06]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:09]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:12]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:15]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:18]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:21]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:24]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:27]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:02:30]** 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www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:18]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:21]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:24]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:27]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:30]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:33]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:36]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:39]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:42]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:45]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:48]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:51]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:54]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:09:57]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:10:00]** www.hradeckesluzby.cz **[00:10:00]** that this work fulfills her. **[00:10:02]** And Jana very aptly described, from the perspective of someone, **[00:10:06]** who experienced this care as a non-professional, **[00:10:08]** or originally as some kind of professional, **[00:10:10]** that although it's nice how many different aids we have, **[00:10:13]** and various beds and all sorts of things, **[00:10:17]** which provide some physical comfort to those people, **[00:10:20]** she emphasized an important point, **[00:10:23]** that often it’s not life, but just survival. **[00:10:25]** And she also stressed that the difficulty of care is understood **[00:10:29]** only by those who have truly experienced it. **[00:10:32]** I didn’t include these five people here by chance. **[00:10:35]** I wrote a book about all five of them last year, **[00:10:39]** called Burning. **[00:10:41]** It’s five interviews with these five people. **[00:10:44]** The book’s goal was not **[00:10:47]** to glorify the profession, **[00:10:49]** nor to be unnecessarily dramatic. **[00:10:53]** My aim was to show the caregiving profession **[00:10:57]** as a profession based on humanity and kindness, **[00:11:01]** as the fundamental prerequisite for quality and dignified care. **[00:11:05]** I never expected the book to receive such a response. **[00:11:09]** We printed fifteen hundred copies, and within three months it was sold out. **[00:11:13]** Now we are preparing a reprint, which will be available **[00:11:17]** at Kosmos from the end of March. **[00:11:19]** So if you’re interested, you can get it there. **[00:11:22]** or directly through our website. **[00:11:24]** That's also possible. **[00:11:26]** And I still get a lot of feedback on that book to this day. **[00:11:29]** I get a lot of reactions from various debates I attend. **[00:11:33]** And usually, there are two main types. **[00:11:35]** Often, these are people who work in some senior home **[00:11:39]** or a similar facility and feel that the book is **[00:11:44]** a source of energy for them. **[00:11:46]** And usually, they come with thanks for bringing up the topic **[00:11:49]** in this way and that it gave them joy **[00:11:52]** and motivation for their work. **[00:11:54]** A nurse from the Prachatice hospice wrote to me, **[00:11:57]** where the mother of the mentioned František passed away. **[00:12:00]** He mentions it in the book and speaks very kindly about them. **[00:12:03]** She wrote to me that it completely took her breath away and that now **[00:12:06]** they read the book in the morning meetings because they found a huge **[00:12:09]** source of energy and motivation for their work in it. **[00:12:12]** The second type of feedback I get **[00:12:15]** comes from people who have experience with home care, **[00:12:18]** usually seeking some hope **[00:12:22]** or support because they feel very alone in it. **[00:12:25]** If we had another question in this presentation, **[00:12:31]** it might be: do you know what you would do tomorrow **[00:12:34]** if you needed to start dealing with care **[00:12:37]** for your loved ones? **[00:12:39]** My experience is that people often leave it to the last moment, **[00:12:42]** and only when it’s no longer possible do they start panicking and exploring **[00:12:46]** various options and alternatives. **[00:12:49]** And I think that’s wrong, that it’s too late, **[00:12:51]** which is also why I accepted Honza’s invitation today, **[00:12:53]** to bring this topic up a bit here. **[00:12:56]** However, thanks to the feedback I get on the book, **[00:13:00]** I realized **[00:13:02]** that we are all seniors, at any age. **[00:13:05]** And that old age is a completely natural and full-fledged part of life, **[00:13:09]** a full phase of life. **[00:13:12]** And just because people of advanced age don’t work and don’t contribute **[00:13:17]** to society in the usual way, **[00:13:20]** like those of us who work, it doesn’t mean **[00:13:23]** that they are people who should be left on the sidelines **[00:13:25]** and they are supposed to live out their days somewhere in a corner. **[00:13:27]** And I am more and more convinced, **[00:13:30]** that we completely and inexplicably push this topic away, **[00:13:34]** we don't want to talk about it, we don't want to deal with it, **[00:13:36]** until it enters our lives. **[00:13:38]** But the first bad news of today is, **[00:13:41]** that this is not really a solution, **[00:13:43]** because it will always catch up with you. **[00:13:46]** And I am convinced that, **[00:13:48]** if we had old age present in everyday life **[00:13:51]** in some form, **[00:13:53]** society would be completely different. **[00:13:56]** And this is also my experience from my volunteer work, **[00:13:59]** because when I divided my work week, **[00:14:04]** I spent four days managing those services, **[00:14:07]** fundraising and similar activities. **[00:14:09]** And one day I spent working directly with clients in a senior home, **[00:14:13]** and it changed me incredibly or transformed me. **[00:14:17]** Rather, it somehow helped me become aware of things, **[00:14:20]** that were part of me and that I perhaps hadn't noticed so clearly. **[00:14:24]** And these are also things that are hard to pass on **[00:14:27]** and I actually really dislike talking about them, **[00:14:29]** because it always shifts into a somewhat sentimental tone **[00:14:32]** and I really don't want that. **[00:14:34]** So it somewhat diminishes the power of those experiences. **[00:14:36]** But the guide, in my opinion, is that **[00:14:39]** you have to experience this with your heart, **[00:14:41]** to be able to integrate it into your everyday life, **[00:14:44]** and only then will you understand the enrichment it brings. **[00:14:47]** And that enrichment can be found even when, **[00:14:50]** you are with a client in the final stages of dementia **[00:14:53]** who doesn't even know who you are. **[00:14:56]** Just the moment of pause **[00:14:58]** and the chance to spend time with them is incredibly powerful **[00:15:00]** and that is something that gradually imprints itself **[00:15:04]** into your normal functioning. **[00:15:06]** I realized that I have never worked on a project, **[00:15:08]** where I would go to the office **[00:15:12]** wondering if someone had died since last time. **[00:15:19]** In nursing homes or these facilities, it's quite common, **[00:15:22]** that when you arrive, you sort of run through in your head, **[00:15:25]** who is actually doing how and whether someone might have passed away. **[00:15:28]** You don't encounter that at all in everyday life. **[00:15:31]** So it's hard to go to work thinking, **[00:15:33]** I'll review the team and say, **[00:15:35]** well, they looked a bit pale last time, **[00:15:37]** so who knows if they'll still be there. **[00:15:40]** At the same time, I think this ability to perceive finiteness **[00:15:43]** and the flow of time is something that gives enormous value **[00:15:46]** and quality to everyday life. **[00:15:49]** And I feel terribly sorry that we perceive elderly people **[00:15:53]** as something that is actually not important at all, **[00:15:56]** and we push them aside and devote **[00:16:00]** to me an almost senseless effort developing various robots for care **[00:16:05]** and virtual reality and similar things, **[00:16:08]** which I of course understand are connected **[00:16:11]** to some developmental phase of society, **[00:16:13]** but I would really wish that at least equal attention **[00:16:16]** was given to topics like humanity in care, **[00:16:19]** like the quality of conditions for the caregiving profession. **[00:16:23]** Because if you go ask any senior **[00:16:26]** in a nursing home or similar facility, **[00:16:28]** I'm convinced that no one would choose **[00:16:31]** a robot and virtual reality over a kind and willing caregiver. **[00:16:35]** And for me, these projects that try **[00:16:39]** to push technology everywhere at all costs, **[00:16:42]** are often more about some ego and our need to show **[00:16:46]** what we can do than about what is really needed. **[00:16:50]** And it's exactly an example of how instead of asking those people, **[00:16:53]** what they want, we invent it for them. **[00:16:55]** It's some illusion that we know better than they do what they need. **[00:16:58]** But we don't, because only you yourselves know best what you need. **[00:17:02]** And that doesn't change with age. **[00:17:04]** And in old age, it's exactly the same. **[00:17:08]** The second bad news of today is, **[00:17:10]** that in 2050... Honza was already holding his head. **[00:17:13]** I saw Periferní sweating. **[00:17:17]** It is that in 2050 there will be three times as many people with dementia as there are today. **[00:17:23]** I have no idea who will take care of them **[00:17:25]** and how the company will approach it, **[00:17:27]** because we keep pretending that everything is actually fine. **[00:17:31]** The Czech Republic basically has no solid strategy **[00:17:35]** to develop this service sector here. **[00:17:38]** We know from research by the Institute of Social Work, **[00:17:41]** that 8 out of 10 people want to live at home, but it doesn't seem **[00:17:44]** that field services are developing in that way, **[00:17:47]** or that investments are being made to truly fulfill people's wishes. **[00:17:52]** I think the system is somewhat distorted, **[00:17:56]** because in my opinion, the system's role is to support what people want, **[00:18:00]** not for people to adapt to what the system currently offers. **[00:18:05]** So there are a lot of various obstacles and question marks. **[00:18:10]** I won't say any more so you don't run away. **[00:18:13]** I'll just conclude by saying I think it's very important **[00:18:17]** to start raising the prestige of the caregiving profession, **[00:18:20]** because although it's demanding, it's a very beautiful job. **[00:18:26]** I'm convinced that it's the greatest service **[00:18:28]** people can offer each other. **[00:18:31]** And I think we should do everything to ensure **[00:18:35]** that people with a gift for this work enter the field **[00:18:38]** and that we can properly appreciate them. **[00:18:42]** It's not normal that we find places where two caregivers **[00:18:46]** look after 40 clients with advanced dementia. **[00:18:49]** At such times, you can't expect anything from those people **[00:18:52]** other than to complete basic tasks. **[00:18:54]** You can't come to a caregiver after a 12-hour shift **[00:18:57]** and say, please smile a bit more at the people. **[00:19:00]** It just doesn't work. So if we want care for our loved ones to be good, **[00:19:04]** we have to look at what we offer those who care for them. **[00:19:08]** We tackled this a bit. **[00:19:12]** My negative volunteer experience eventually **[00:19:16]** in recent years influenced a program **[00:19:19]** we called Doma, which we implement **[00:19:22]** under our organization Mila. **[00:19:24]** Doma simply means dignity, openness, management, and atmosphere. **[00:19:28]** And three pillars we always say are, **[00:19:33]** we believe the path to quality senior care **[00:19:37]** goes through satisfied caregivers. **[00:19:40]** We say we want to support senior facility management **[00:19:43]** to follow this path. **[00:19:46]** And we tell them that we can offer a new perspective **[00:19:49]** and become their guide, advisor, and listener. **[00:19:52]** Right now, there are nine of us on the team, and out of those, **[00:19:55]** five go to senior homes or various facilities **[00:19:58]** that focus on senior care. **[00:20:00]** Our work is based on spending several months directly with the management of these facilities, with care leaders, **[00:20:09]** and addressing what they need so their teams feel good and can provide quality and dignified care to their clients. **[00:20:19]** Here it’s a bit more detailed; with management, it’s mostly about helping them find a way to lead people that results in a satisfied team, **[00:20:28]** we listen to caregivers and together with them create a better place to work and live. **[00:20:33]** Interestingly, caregivers are often never asked what they want. **[00:20:39]** They are often in the role of just completing tasks with no chance to express how they might approach care **[00:20:47]** or how it could make sense, so they just fulfill their duties. When you start respecting those who care **[00:20:56]** and remind them that their opinion and perspective matter, their relationship to the topic changes, **[00:21:03]** their relationship to the profession itself, because they feel much more involved. **[00:21:08]** And last but not least, we try to offer ways to provide higher quality and more dignified care to clients. **[00:21:15]** So, to sum up the approach, we know it’s not about one-time help, **[00:21:21]** it’s not just about raising money for caregivers and solving the problem. **[00:21:25]** We can work comprehensively on the topic and create an environment that helps generate quality and dignity. **[00:21:33]** We framed the topic of quality and dignified conditions for caregivers into four areas that we enjoy and want to address. **[00:21:37]** One is the issue of money, meaning raising funds for caregivers. **[00:21:43]** At the same time, education must be improved so people have the chance to develop **[00:21:48]** their skills during their practice. **[00:21:53]** We also see a lot of room for individual personal support, **[00:21:56]** which is often missing. People don’t have anyone to talk to about what they experience. **[00:22:00]** Caring for clients with advanced dementia is not easy. **[00:22:07]** It’s extremely demanding, especially when clients show aggression **[00:22:11]** or refuse care and are unpleasant. It’s very hard to build a relationship with people **[00:22:17]** who yell at you or try to attack you. **[00:22:23]** You store all this inside, and it’s very important that caregivers have someone to talk to about it. **[00:22:26]** The fourth point, which we consider essential, is to somehow limit the number of clients per caregiver. **[00:22:31]** This exists in healthcare, **[00:22:36]** but not in social services, because there are so few caregivers that we have encountered places **[00:22:40]** where 40 clients are cared for by just two caregivers. **[00:22:46]** This year, we decided to hold a series of discussions called Jiskříme. It comes from the book title Hořím, **[00:22:50]** because the reactions motivated me to keep working on this. **[00:22:54]** We are organizing eight discussions from March to June, **[00:22:58]** talking with nursing students, professional caregivers, **[00:23:02]** families caring for someone at home, and directly with seniors, **[00:23:18]** We talk to people who run homes for these clients. **[00:23:22]** And we ask all of them how to improve conditions for the caregiving profession. **[00:23:26]** Specifically, what would you, who are in the field, wish for and need? **[00:23:31]** The result of these eight discussions, involving nearly a hundred people, **[00:23:36]** should be a kind of ten-point summary, an overview of recommendations, **[00:23:39]** which I don't delude myself will change anything, **[00:23:42]** but I believe it can be a spark to start more conversations about this topic, **[00:23:46]** and to raise awareness about it. **[00:23:51]** All our efforts will culminate on September 15th in a conference, **[00:23:55]** where we want to present this in some way and use it as a starting point for further work. **[00:24:02]** We are also preparing a research study that should help us gather concrete data, **[00:24:08]** facts, and figures about what I'm talking about, so we can base it on real practice. **[00:24:17]** This year, we plan to support or collaborate with five senior homes. **[00:24:22]** These are examples; I deliberately don't mention specific places, **[00:24:27]** only regions, from three requests that came to us. **[00:24:32]** It is crucial that the request comes from the facility itself. **[00:24:36]** Earlier, we started by needing to pilot the project somewhere, **[00:24:40]** so we went anywhere, and that was terrible, because when you come in with **[00:24:44]** no one wanting the change, it just doesn't work. **[00:24:47]** So we went through a kind of purgatory, and now fortunately we've reached a stage **[00:24:52]** where enlightened directors come to us themselves and say **[00:24:57]** that either a book or an interview they saw resonated with them, **[00:25:00]** and they want to improve the way they operate. **[00:25:04]** A director from a home in Northern Moravia recently contacted us, **[00:25:08]** having started there not long ago, gradually noticing changes **[00:25:13]** he wants to make and needs help with, and asked us **[00:25:17]** to guide him through it and other facilities. **[00:25:20]** This is not the only case of total exhaustion after COVID, **[00:25:25]** when people had no chance to properly rest, **[00:25:28]** and no one talked to them about what actually happened there. **[00:25:31]** If we realize that during COVID we locked all seniors away, **[00:25:35]** without asking if they wanted visits or not, **[00:25:39]** this has to have consequences. **[00:25:42]** And I can't help but say I consider it the greatest atrocity, **[00:25:45]** that during COVID adults and their legal representatives were locked in facilities, **[00:25:50]** where they pay for social services but had no say in what they wanted. **[00:25:55]** Many of these people really passed away feeling **[00:26:00]** that their loved ones abandoned them and left them there. **[00:26:03]** And it's something I probably will never fully process. **[00:26:06]** It always tightens my chest when I talk about it. **[00:26:09]** And it affected the team in such a way that the people simply need **[00:26:13]** to somehow recharge for work again. **[00:26:16]** Then we also have a home in Central Bohemia, **[00:26:18]** where they also dealt with some tension at the team level and want to change it. **[00:26:23]** I deliberately included these specific requests because **[00:26:27]** when it comes to seniors, we all really like **[00:26:31]** that kind of concrete, material, visible support. **[00:26:34]** And I want to show with this example that it's not the only way **[00:26:38]** to fully help, because many processes happen **[00:26:42]** behind closed doors and many things are not visible. **[00:26:45]** Maybe it's not as attractive for donors, but if we settle for **[00:26:49]** just ticking off support by sending a specific item or paying a specific person something **[00:26:52]** and ignore the added value, nothing will ever move forward. **[00:26:56]** But I will move on here in the presentation. **[00:27:01]** This is a response from Iveta, the head of care at one home **[00:27:05]** where we worked, and she summed it up by saying **[00:27:08]** that before we arrived, she was thinking about leaving. **[00:27:11]** She was simply tired and exhausted. **[00:27:14]** Fortunately, we caught her at the last moment, one foot out the door, **[00:27:17]** and helped her change her perspective, **[00:27:21]** set up some processes so that work became enjoyable again. **[00:27:24]** It may not seem like a big deal, but it is, **[00:27:28]** because she is great, and if she left the field, it would be a huge loss. **[00:27:31]** Likewise, a caregiver Eva from another facility **[00:27:35]** mentioned that the most important thing we gave her was **[00:27:38]** learning to stop and truly perceive the clients. **[00:27:42]** And suddenly she began to experience time with them differently. **[00:27:45]** That pause is a very important moment in care. **[00:27:49]** I think no one can enjoy going from room to room all day long **[00:27:52]** just dealing with hygiene, **[00:27:56]** helping with feeding and medication. **[00:27:59]** That is really something a robot could theoretically do. **[00:28:02]** But I believe every step like this should be connected with **[00:28:06]** having the capacity and space to reflect on who you are going to, **[00:28:10]** who this person is, what they are like, what they like. **[00:28:14]** And trying in some way to show them that you see them as the personality they are, **[00:28:18]** that they are not just a patient, client, or whatever, **[00:28:22]** but a real person. **[00:28:26]** And this pause is, of course, very difficult, **[00:28:32]** when there are few devices and you don't have the chance to stop. **[00:28:36]** And that's exactly why it's necessary to raise the prestige of the profession, so more people come **[00:28:40]** and so we can realize that people at the end of life are not in the facility **[00:28:44]** just to lie in bed and wait for food three times a day. **[00:28:48]** They are there to receive decent, dignified treatment **[00:28:52]** and to feel that this phase of life has value and is somehow quality. **[00:29:00]** The essence of the caregiving profession is that it responds to the needs of the person, **[00:29:05]** that it can perceive them and find a way to meet them. **[00:29:09]** And I put a few photos here. **[00:29:12]** This is my favorite coffee mug, which I've had since childhood. **[00:29:16]** Maybe you have it too; I think it was one of the ten types **[00:29:19]** available in stores in the 1980s. **[00:29:23]** That mug has been at the cottage since forever, when I was at my grandparents'. **[00:29:27]** I still have it at home and it's important to me to make coffee in it in the morning, **[00:29:31]** because it's mine and I love it. **[00:29:34]** It may seem like a complete nonsense, but when you are a person **[00:29:38]** dependent on someone's care and you are in a facility, **[00:29:41]** having coffee the way you like it, in your favorite mug, **[00:29:44]** is often the only thing that can bring you joy during the day. **[00:29:48]** When I arrived, you asked me what kind of coffee I wanted, **[00:29:51]** and I said small black without sugar. **[00:29:54]** And when they brought me a sweetened latte, I wouldn't drink it because I don't like it. **[00:30:00]** When you're there, it's like a lottery whether the person on duty **[00:30:05]** knows, 'Oh, Mr. Novák likes black coffee, this person likes that,' **[00:30:09]** or if there's a caregiver who makes 20 identical coffees **[00:30:12]** because they don't want to spend time on it. **[00:30:15]** And if you think about it for a moment, there's nothing worse **[00:30:19]** than wanting to have that coffee, that moment of pause, and getting something completely different. **[00:30:24]** And these little things like a favorite coffee mug **[00:30:28]** are really important at this stage. **[00:30:31]** Just like the fact that people in the facility, sometimes bedridden, **[00:30:36]** may not look outside for several months, **[00:30:39]** may not have the chance to see the sky for months, **[00:30:42]** may not be able to touch a tree, grass, things, **[00:30:45]** which may sound a bit sentimental, **[00:30:47]** but when those things disappear from your life, **[00:30:49]** you would give anything **[00:30:51]** to experience them once more. **[00:30:53]** And I also see care in the sense that **[00:30:56]** a caregiver is able to realize this here **[00:30:58]** and that in the fall he will bring nuts to that client's bed, **[00:31:02]** he will bring little mice. **[00:31:04]** I had a client who was unconscious, **[00:31:06]** she brought snow to my bed, **[00:31:08]** because I realized she hadn't been outside in winter for seven years, **[00:31:11]** and hadn't had the chance to hold a snow globe in her hand for seven years. **[00:31:14]** And here, too, it's something that when I experience it at work, **[00:31:18]** it really helps me in my daily perception **[00:31:21]** and in feeling some joy from everyday life. **[00:31:28]** When the caregiver is simply satisfied, **[00:31:31]** then the client can be satisfied. **[00:31:33]** It's a simple rule. **[00:31:35]** If I have something to give, I can give. **[00:31:37]** If I have nothing to give, I can't. **[00:31:39]** When you're tired, sleep-deprived, hungry, **[00:31:41]** you probably can't just switch and say, **[00:31:43]** now I'll be really nice to my colleague, **[00:31:46]** because it's better that way. **[00:31:48]** You simply don't have your basic needs met, **[00:31:51]** and therefore you can't respond to the needs of others. **[00:31:54]** When I was on a two-week internship in Florida six years ago, **[00:31:58]** I visited about 10 facilities there. **[00:32:01]** Most of them were either hospices or senior homes. **[00:32:05]** And in one facility, they had a ribbon like this on the door. **[00:32:09]** I'll ask those of you sitting here, **[00:32:11]** can you guess what it might have meant? **[00:32:13]** Why was it there? **[00:32:16]** For those watching quietly, no one is saying anything. **[00:32:20]** So I'll answer. **[00:32:22]** The ribbon was placed when someone died. **[00:32:26]** It was a simple, quiet symbol, **[00:32:29]** to show those moving around the home afterward, **[00:32:33]** that someone in this room had just taken their last breath. **[00:32:37]** And it's not just a ribbon on the door, **[00:32:40]** but a ribbon on the door, **[00:32:43]** behind which there is a huge amount of work on internal settings, **[00:32:46]** on the team, a huge amount of work by the leader, **[00:32:49]** who leads that team. **[00:32:52]** Because to be able to understand, **[00:32:57]** what it means, **[00:32:59]** so you can identify with the symbolism, **[00:33:02]** so you put it there consciously and not just slap it on, **[00:33:05]** because someone told you to, **[00:33:07]** it's something that is actually a very long-term, **[00:33:10]** invisible, subtly tangible matter, **[00:33:12]** which you have to constantly **[00:33:15]** cultivate at the team level in some way, **[00:33:17]** so that people can do it. **[00:33:20]** I haven't experienced anything like that in the Czech Republic yet, **[00:33:23]** in any facility, **[00:33:25]** but it gave me a lot of hope **[00:33:28]** that the path, or the light at the end of the tunnel, exists, **[00:33:33]** because I went to America at a time **[00:33:36]** when I was determined to quit the field. **[00:33:39]** When I was leaving that home, **[00:33:41]** with that negative volunteer experience, **[00:33:44]** where I had no chance, even through complaints, **[00:33:47]** to get anything done. **[00:33:49]** And it really broke me then. **[00:33:51]** And I felt it made no sense at all, **[00:33:53]** like a child somewhere in a sandbox, **[00:33:55]** making some sandcastles, **[00:33:57]** and people telling them, you know, just play here and that's fine. **[00:34:00]** I went to my friends for two weeks **[00:34:02]** and there I caught my breath. **[00:34:03]** And right here, those symbols and small things, **[00:34:05]** which I noticed there, gave me the feeling **[00:34:09]** that maybe, yes, I might not live to see it. **[00:34:12]** That's another bad news of today, **[00:34:15]** that I think the really big changes **[00:34:18]** we might not live to see. **[00:34:20]** It will take longer than we think. **[00:34:24]** But I feel it's very important **[00:34:26]** to try for it with any small steps **[00:34:28]** on a daily basis. **[00:34:31]** Because the current situation in Czech facilities **[00:34:36]** is like this. **[00:34:38]** This facility is a non-Prague LDN, **[00:34:41]** where you lie all day and wait, **[00:34:44]** when someone brings you food, **[00:34:46]** when someone helps you with hygiene, **[00:34:48]** who brings you medicine, and that's about it. **[00:34:50]** And when we want someone to take care of us, **[00:34:57]** so that we have a quality old age, **[00:35:00]** it's very important to realize, **[00:35:03]** I forgot, I still have one more depressing photo, **[00:35:07]** this is usually how people with dementia end up, **[00:35:11]** they are no longer able to participate in various activities, **[00:35:14]** and to keep them calm and prevent wandering, **[00:35:17]** they are often taken to some common rooms, **[00:35:20]** where they sit in front of the TV for two or three hours, **[00:35:23]** because it's some way **[00:35:25]** to somewhat 'immobilize' them. **[00:35:28]** It's probably not a very well-spent time. **[00:35:31]** What I want to say is that I believe **[00:35:34]** the foundation for improving these things, **[00:35:37]** now this is positive, I promise, **[00:35:40]** is healthy relationships. **[00:35:42]** And I think healthy relationships **[00:35:44]** are the most important thing in the world. **[00:35:47]** They are the absolute foundation for **[00:35:49]** thriving in old age, as I just talked about. **[00:35:53]** And I deliberately included five of my own rituals. **[00:35:56]** I think each of you has something **[00:36:01]** that you consider extremely important in your life. **[00:36:03]** For me, it's that I need to have a good breakfast every morning. **[00:36:06]** And I'm not lazy to get up an hour earlier because of that, **[00:36:08]** because I need time, **[00:36:10]** I need to eat well, **[00:36:12]** put on some music, and enjoy it. **[00:36:14]** I need to buy a fresh flower every week, **[00:36:15]** I need to get up at least once a year to watch the sunrise **[00:36:18]** and sit on Petřín Hill and observe it. **[00:36:21]** I need to walk in the forest at the cottage in silence **[00:36:24]** and be very alone so I can hear myself. **[00:36:28]** And I need to sense some kind of cycle, **[00:36:31]** how nature works. **[00:36:38]** And the moment you are self-sufficient, **[00:36:40]** these rituals, **[00:36:41]** which each of you could probably name five of your own, **[00:36:43]** because you definitely have some. **[00:36:46]** When you can take care of them yourself, **[00:36:48]** it's very easy to maintain them. **[00:36:51]** But when you become dependent on someone else's care, **[00:36:54]** you lose all of this. **[00:36:56]** And you eat whatever happens to be on the menu. **[00:36:59]** You don't buy a flower, **[00:37:01]** because you don't go out to see the sunrise for it. **[00:37:02]** Well, maybe you wake up before four in the morning, **[00:37:05]** but it depends on where your windows face, if you see anything. **[00:37:07]** You can't go to the forest because you can't walk. **[00:37:10]** And you lose everything that has defined you your whole life **[00:37:13]** and helped you experience joy. **[00:37:16]** And I feel that the natural role of those who care, **[00:37:20]** and I don't mean just professional caregivers, **[00:37:24]** I mean each of us who has parents, grandparents, **[00:37:27]** who gradually may need more of our involvement, **[00:37:30]** is to perceive what brings joy to those we love, **[00:37:33]** and how we can find a way to provide their ritual. **[00:37:35]** And depending on the quality of our relationships, **[00:37:38]** we are capable of that. **[00:37:41]** When we push aside various grievances all our lives, **[00:37:45]** everyone carries something in the family, everyone deals with it differently, **[00:37:48]** some push it away because they simply don't want to deal with it, **[00:37:51]** and because everyday life offers a billion ways **[00:37:55]** to push it far away. **[00:37:59]** But when you realize, **[00:38:02]** as I mentioned, **[00:38:05]** that it will catch up with you, **[00:38:07]** it might prompt you to deal with it right now. **[00:38:10]** And all this care for relationships is an investment in the future. **[00:38:13]** When you are able to invest in your relationships with loved ones like this, **[00:38:16]** you more easily perceive what they love **[00:38:19]** and can respond better. **[00:38:23]** I can say there is nothing sadder than seeing visits in a senior home sometimes. **[00:38:33]** That silence that sometimes prevails there, **[00:38:36]** when the person is lying there, their loved one sitting with the jars and mineral water, **[00:38:40]** now nervously looking at the watch, thinking they should actually leave, **[00:38:44]** it's really awful. Truly awful and very sad. **[00:38:47]** And I consider it important to think about **[00:38:50]** what we will do with our life when it comes down to this one person. **[00:38:54]** This is also from that American hospice, **[00:38:58]** places like this might exist now, **[00:39:01]** but this one is from a place in Florida. **[00:39:04]** So it's necessary to reflect on how we want it to be in our story. **[00:39:08]** How we imagine, if we end up there, what our life might look like, **[00:39:12]** what we would wish for our loved ones to convey to us. **[00:39:15]** And I often meet people who tell me or ask **[00:39:18]** for some positive stories or want to hear something touching. **[00:39:22]** So I included three, but of course not to **[00:39:25]** make you emotional, as you probably already understand, that's not my goal today. **[00:39:31]** I included three stories to show **[00:39:36]** that you can always do something and that you can always help your loved ones **[00:39:39]** experience what they liked. **[00:39:42]** This is from a senior home where some clients were used to **[00:39:45]** taking care of a garden their whole life. **[00:39:49]** And since many of them had mobility issues, **[00:39:51]** they spent time in wheelchairs and couldn't bend down to the beds. **[00:39:54]** So we had... **[00:39:59]** made in Pankrác prison, where they have a carpentry workshop. **[00:40:00]** A raised planter like this, and we solved it so that **[00:40:03]** the wheelchairs could simply park underneath, **[00:40:07]** and the clients could continue their activity. **[00:40:09]** It works, you just have to think about it. **[00:40:12]** The same with a lady who loved going to Rudolfín her whole life, **[00:40:15]** and was over 90, often complaining **[00:40:19]** that she wouldn't make it to the concert anymore, that she'd never see it again. **[00:40:24]** And I thought, why not? **[00:40:28]** We arranged a hairdresser, did her makeup, **[00:40:30]** got a taxi, went to the concert, and it was beautiful. **[00:40:32]** And on the way back, she was very tired **[00:40:36]** and a bit confused about where she was and where she was going. **[00:40:39]** And the taxi driver was nervous, wondering if she was okay, **[00:40:42]** or what was going on in the story. **[00:40:47]** And when we dropped her off at the home, he asked me, **[00:40:50]** who that was or what it was supposed to be. **[00:40:53]** And when I briefly explained, he looked at me and said, **[00:40:56]** no way, that can't be true. **[00:40:58]** He gave me about half the price for the ride, **[00:41:01]** because he thought it was really nice. **[00:41:03]** And again, it's proof that it can be done if you want to. **[00:41:07]** This is also from the facility where we asked our friend Benedikt Renč, **[00:41:12]** a photographer, to take portraits of all the clients. **[00:41:16]** Nice, dignified photos that we then developed. **[00:41:19]** We gave each person five in a kind of golden envelope **[00:41:22]** as a gift for their loved ones. **[00:41:25]** Another way to see things from the perspective of these people. **[00:41:28]** They can't just go buy gifts for their children or grandchildren. **[00:41:31]** So we simply helped them to be able to give one. **[00:41:34]** I was really touched because several times I met families who **[00:41:37]** used that photo on a memorial card, **[00:41:39]** because it was one of the nicest photos they had from that time. **[00:41:44]** By the way, two-thirds of the people in that photo have already passed away. **[00:41:51]** This is a story from when I was in the States. **[00:41:54]** We were with a client who had some form of dementia, **[00:41:58]** suffered from hallucinations. **[00:42:00]** He was originally a football player. **[00:42:02]** From the photos, an incredibly charismatic, handsome man, **[00:42:05]** who ended up unable to speak. **[00:42:07]** He was basically in a wheelchair and it was kind of scary. **[00:42:11]** He was very dependent on his wife. **[00:42:13]** We took him out with his volunteer, **[00:42:16]** and spent about an hour outside, **[00:42:18]** riding around the lawn or flowerbed. **[00:42:22]** I asked him if he wanted to pick a flower for his wife. **[00:42:25]** He just gave me a slight nod to show **[00:42:29]** which ones to pick and which not to. **[00:42:31]** Gradually, we picked the flowers together. **[00:42:34]** We gave them to his wife. **[00:42:36]** It was incredibly powerful because she hadn't experienced **[00:42:38]** anything like that from him in the last eight years. **[00:42:40]** And a week later, he died. **[00:42:42]** And for her, the whole story was suddenly framed by something, **[00:42:47]** which could perhaps be called an expression of gratitude **[00:42:51]** for what she did for him. **[00:42:55]** And when I... **[00:42:57]** Oh, here’s the last one. **[00:42:59]** She has also passed away, but she wouldn’t forgive me **[00:43:01]** if I didn’t include her. **[00:43:03]** She was my favorite client, Míla, **[00:43:06]** who was unconscious, used to be a model, **[00:43:08]** and was incredibly funny and lively. **[00:43:11]** She’s the lady I used to bring snow to bed. **[00:43:13]** And she always stayed in her pajamas, **[00:43:15]** so for her birthday, I bought her a kind of house dress, **[00:43:18]** yellow, and a scarf, and gave it to her. **[00:43:20]** And she did this and said, **[00:43:22]** given my age, I should wear it more like this. **[00:43:26]** What I want to say is that humor and sadness, **[00:43:29]** and all these emotions belong to the care **[00:43:31]** that comes from meeting elderly people, **[00:43:33]** and it’s very beautiful and powerful. **[00:43:37]** And I want to say that for these stories you don’t have to **[00:43:40]** go to senior homes, **[00:43:42]** because these stories are much closer to you than you think. **[00:43:45]** You have them at home in your own family. **[00:43:47]** And you can do these small things for your loved ones, **[00:43:49]** even if they aren’t yet dependent on your care. **[00:43:51]** Because by doing so, you cultivate your relationships **[00:43:53]** and invest in the future. **[00:43:55]** I put a photo here with my parents, **[00:43:58]** with whom I set this up like this. **[00:44:00]** And I visit them every week. **[00:44:02]** And I enjoy that time with them. **[00:44:04]** And I see it as that moment, **[00:44:07]** when we are able to nurture our relationships **[00:44:09]** and talk about everyday things, **[00:44:12]** it’s something that will help me later, **[00:44:14]** if it’s ever necessary **[00:44:16]** to open even the more difficult topics. **[00:44:18]** I called the whole thing, 'We Are All Seniors,' **[00:44:22]** but actually, when I was preparing this presentation, **[00:44:27]** I realized that we are all caregivers. **[00:44:29]** Precisely because our, **[00:44:31]** I would almost say, duty **[00:44:33]** is to take care of relationships with ourselves **[00:44:35]** and with our loved ones. **[00:44:37]** And if you feel **[00:44:41]** that helping nonprofits **[00:44:43]** and non-governmental organizations **[00:44:45]** is meaningful only when **[00:44:47]** you see those specific stories **[00:44:49]** and that concrete help, **[00:44:51]** I would rather recommend **[00:44:53]** that you look for it in everyday life **[00:44:55]** and in your family. **[00:44:57]** That you see nonprofit organizations **[00:44:59]** more as experts on the whole topic, **[00:45:01]** as someone who lifts **[00:45:03]** the entire system **[00:45:05]** and tries to move it forward somehow. **[00:45:07]** Because nonprofits **[00:45:09]** are not here **[00:45:11]** to be couriers of help, **[00:45:13]** to deliver gifts **[00:45:15]** and material aid. **[00:45:17]** They are people who work **[00:45:19]** to improve issues that the state does not want to, cannot, or is unable to address. **[00:45:21]** They are people **[00:45:23]** who are professionals in their work **[00:45:25]** and deserve to be **[00:45:27]** adequately paid for it. **[00:45:29]** There is always that surprise, **[00:45:31]** that we don't want to pay people in nonprofits. **[00:45:33]** Why? **[00:45:35]** The nonprofit is not able to support itself. **[00:45:37]** The more successful it is, the more activities it has, **[00:45:39]** the more money it needs **[00:45:41]** and it needs to pay its people adequately. **[00:45:43]** When COVID happened **[00:45:45]** or now the situation in Ukraine, **[00:45:49]** It was precisely the non-governmental organizations, **[00:45:51]** that were first on the scene, **[00:45:53]** that were able to incredibly, **[00:45:55]** quickly and efficiently coordinate all the aid. **[00:45:57]** That doesn't happen by itself. **[00:45:59]** These are things that require **[00:46:01]** absolutely perfect management **[00:46:03]** and a strong team of people. **[00:46:05]** So when you feel, **[00:46:07]** that you want to help some nonprofit, **[00:46:09]** choose one based on a topic **[00:46:11]** that is close to you. **[00:46:13]** Choose one that speaks to you by **[00:46:15]** how they talk about those topics, **[00:46:17]** how they present themselves on their website, **[00:46:19]** and how they fulfill their mission. **[00:46:21]** And that is the way to come to **[00:46:23]** being proud **[00:46:25]** that you are part of the solution. **[00:46:27]** It's not about buying someone a thing **[00:46:29]** or choosing a specific child **[00:46:31]** to support, but about **[00:46:33]** identifying with a topic **[00:46:35]** and realizing that the commercial, **[00:46:37]** non-commercial, business, nonprofit world **[00:46:39]** is actually just one. **[00:46:41]** And the meaningfulness lies in creating some balance. **[00:46:43]** Connecting resources with skills **[00:46:45]** and the abilities of people **[00:46:47]** who can advance those topics. **[00:46:49]** On the other hand, I have to say, **[00:46:51]** that it is often a mistake of nonprofits, **[00:46:53]** that they can't communicate very well **[00:46:55]** what they do, which is related to the fact **[00:46:57]** that they simply don't have money, **[00:46:59]** no PR teams or similar, **[00:47:01]** and simply have limited resources. **[00:47:03]** I just wanted to show with this example **[00:47:05]** that it's not always just about the concrete and material, **[00:47:09]** but more about the topic **[00:47:11]** that you identify with. **[00:47:13]** I'm slowly approaching **[00:47:15]** the conclusion. Here once again **[00:47:17]** I'll mention the book. **[00:47:19]** If it interests you, **[00:47:21]** either www.mila.je **[00:47:23]** or from the end of March at Kosmas. **[00:47:27]** Here I would... **[00:47:29]** I'm really very tense about how it turned out. **[00:47:31]** 11% said yes. **[00:47:33]** It's... **[00:47:35]** I'm actually glad that appeared. **[00:47:37]** It's yes, because **[00:47:39]** it actually leads me to **[00:47:41]** mention that it's important **[00:47:43]** that senior homes aren't always bad. **[00:47:45]** They are a completely **[00:47:47]** natural part **[00:47:49]** of the system and that there will always be **[00:47:51]** people who **[00:47:53]** won't want to be alone at home **[00:47:55]** or won't have any other option **[00:47:57]** but to be in some facility. **[00:47:59]** And therefore, those homes **[00:48:01]** belong in the system. But it's very important **[00:48:03]** to develop the whole complex so that **[00:48:05]** it fulfills what **[00:48:07]** 89% of you want, **[00:48:09]** which means **[00:48:11]** to age at home. **[00:48:13]** I would also like to introduce **[00:48:15]** at least our team. There are 9 of us now, **[00:48:17]** but we haven't had the capacity or time to take a photo yet. **[00:48:19]** We grew very quickly **[00:48:21]** during last autumn. **[00:48:23]** To my left is Karolina Půtová, **[00:48:25]** who is **[00:48:27]** the head of the Doma program, **[00:48:29]** which oversees all **[00:48:31]** collaboration with homes and works **[00:48:33]** then at the level of individual facilities. **[00:48:35]** Behind her with the red glasses **[00:48:37]** is Blanka Opekarová, who **[00:48:39]** takes care of our website and our newsletter. **[00:48:41]** Next to her stands **[00:48:43]** Petra Vattel, who is responsible for **[00:48:45]** social media and our communications **[00:48:47]** directed to the public. **[00:48:49]** At my right hand is Bětka Doležalová, **[00:48:51]** who takes care of **[00:48:53]** HR topics when some **[00:48:55]** home comes with a need **[00:48:57]** to strengthen some personnel **[00:48:59]** matters, so Bětka handles it. **[00:49:01]** And behind her is Petra Lazáková, **[00:49:03]** who is a coach and someone who **[00:49:05]** works on an individual level **[00:49:07]** with individual caregivers and leaders. **[00:49:09]** And missing from the photo **[00:49:11]** is the already mentioned Dana Martínková, **[00:49:13]** a nurse who **[00:49:15]** has experienced everything and when **[00:49:17]** there is a problem **[00:49:19]** in care admission, Dana steps in **[00:49:21]** and solves it. **[00:49:23]** And newly joined us Martina Dvořáková, **[00:49:25]** a sociologist who helps us **[00:49:27]** grasp our planned research. **[00:49:29]** And the last, **[00:49:31]** but not in terms of **[00:49:33]** value, but the last one **[00:49:35]** I will name is Lucie Kendriková, **[00:49:37]** who helps us with administrative **[00:49:39]** matters, with production of all affairs, **[00:49:41]** and who is basically **[00:49:43]** the main caretaker of our team **[00:49:45]** and helps us so that **[00:49:47]** our team feels **[00:49:49]** good about our work. **[00:49:51]** So, that's all from me. **[00:49:53]** That's everything. **[00:49:55]** If you have any, **[00:49:57]** I know there will be time for questions now, **[00:49:59]** but if you later have any... **[00:50:00]** it's personal, sometimes it happens that from these discussions a few people write their story **[00:50:06]** and share a need to get advice on what they are dealing with at home, **[00:50:11]** so you can definitely reach out to me and I'll gladly answer if it fits your situation. **[00:50:15]** And if you want to support us, we have a profile on darujme.cz where you can directly support the program at home. **[00:50:25]** So, thank you very much for the opportunity here, I'm really glad for it, **[00:50:29]** it's actually not common for me to talk so thoroughly about what I do. **[00:50:34]** I hope I didn't bore you completely. **[00:50:37]** I wouldn't want that. The goal was just to spark some interest in the topic **[00:50:42]** and lead you to reflect on what you can earn for yourself **[00:50:47]** and your loved ones, so you feel good. I hope it worked. **[00:50:50]** You're reacting similarly as when I came in, so hopefully it's not a major drop. **[00:50:55]** Thank you very much for your time and the opportunity. **[00:51:04]** So, depression again? **[00:51:06]** Of course, as always. **[00:51:08]** I warned you. **[00:51:10]** Before the viewers start asking questions and there already are some, **[00:51:16]** I have a few topics prepared. **[00:51:20]** Simona, you also advise companies regarding CSR, how to direct attention and where. **[00:51:27]** You touched on this a bit at the end of your presentation. **[00:51:31]** Can you say a bit about what you encounter? **[00:51:33]** Because the corporate audience is definitely one we speak to. **[00:51:38]** Yes, that's quite accurate, I recently decided to stop doing that, **[00:51:44]** because I don't have the capacity, but I did it for the last eight years. **[00:51:49]** My work was mostly about helping either nonprofits **[00:51:52]** that are just starting or going through some change, **[00:51:54]** or people in companies who want to somehow grasp the topic. **[00:51:59]** I often encountered what I would call a sincere effort to do something, **[00:52:06]** with a strong desire to act, but with a somewhat naive idea about **[00:52:10]** how to actually handle the whole thing. **[00:52:12]** Just yesterday, a man from a company called me, **[00:52:14]** they organized an impromptu fundraiser for Ukraine, **[00:52:16]** they housed hundreds of people from Ukraine somewhere. **[00:52:19]** And now they're like, what next? **[00:52:21]** And they might want to establish a foundation, **[00:52:23]** and want to somehow manage it. **[00:52:26]** And I kind of poked at it and said, **[00:52:30]** you see, it's exactly clear that nonprofits have their own core and purpose, **[00:52:34]** because they are the people who know how to deliver the content. **[00:52:37]** So sometimes it seems to me that companies feel **[00:52:41]** they can just come up with it at the table **[00:52:43]** and they ask too little and observe too little. **[00:52:45]** And they don't respect nonprofits as equal partners. **[00:52:50]** On the other hand, and to be fair, **[00:52:52]** nonprofits aren't always the ones who respect the company. **[00:52:55]** Often they see it only as a source of money, **[00:52:58]** and that's wrong too. **[00:53:00]** So for me, it's about what I notice most **[00:53:02]** and what I miss most, which is learning to communicate **[00:53:05]** at a partnership level and understanding **[00:53:07]** that only together can we fulfill a goal. **[00:53:11]** And I would also emphasize this, **[00:53:13]** that before someone jumps into something, **[00:53:15]** they should look **[00:53:16]** if there aren't already activities of this kind, **[00:53:18]** if something can't be connected to, **[00:53:20]** if I'm doing it to help myself and my feelings, **[00:53:21]** or if I really want to do something meaningful. **[00:53:23]** And take a moment, **[00:53:25]** in which you honestly answer **[00:53:27]** why you actually want to do it and what you want to do. **[00:53:30]** And only then take some steps. **[00:53:32]** The expertise you mentioned in nonprofits, **[00:53:36]** is definitely true, **[00:53:39]** that often these people are treated like a nuisance. **[00:53:40]** And that's definitely not good. **[00:53:44]** More than one Brain&Breakfast has been about **[00:53:46]** showing that expertise. **[00:53:48]** And after all, today you are here. **[00:53:50]** I might pause a bit on that expertise. **[00:53:52]** You even mentioned some numbers. **[00:53:54]** There is a question from Jirka about **[00:53:56]** the tripling of people with dementia **[00:53:59]** and data and some comparison with other countries. **[00:54:01]** How is it actually? **[00:54:06]** We got this data directly from the people, **[00:54:09]** who have the branch in America, **[00:54:11]** who work there with the target group. **[00:54:14]** So it's some kind of... **[00:54:15]** I admit, I don't know exactly who conducted the survey. **[00:54:17]** But I can definitely look it up for Mr. Jiří. **[00:54:20]** But it's some estimate of **[00:54:22]** how these people are increasing. **[00:54:24]** And of course, it's due to the fact **[00:54:26]** that modern medicine can already address many issues. **[00:54:30]** But the fact that there are more and more people with Alzheimer's disease, **[00:54:33]** is partly because **[00:54:35]** we are living to such an old age, **[00:54:37]** that this is often a consequence. **[00:54:39]** Or it is connected to it. **[00:54:40]** That's why the increase is like that, among other reasons. **[00:54:44]** And the comparison with other countries, **[00:54:46]** how are we doing... **[00:54:47]** Without meaning about dementia? **[00:54:48]** No, no, no, no. **[00:54:49]** Now especially about care as such. **[00:54:51]** How is the Czech Republic actually doing? **[00:54:53]** I think the problem is, **[00:54:55]** that there is no clear strategy here, **[00:54:57]** that would aim at **[00:54:59]** systematically developing **[00:55:01]** and sufficiently expanding field services. **[00:55:03]** That means services that allow people **[00:55:05]** to stay at home as long as possible. **[00:55:07]** Actually, under the previous government, **[00:55:09]** the loudest message was **[00:55:11]** that billions would be invested in building **[00:55:13]** new senior homes. **[00:55:14]** These are homes for us, **[00:55:15]** just to put it in time perspective. **[00:55:17]** And nothing else. **[00:55:19]** These various steps are happening, **[00:55:21]** the services are working, **[00:55:23]** but it's not strategically **[00:55:25]** handled at the state level. **[00:55:27]** As for other countries, the Netherlands can definitely be an inspiration, **[00:55:29]** which basically no longer builds any nursing homes, **[00:55:31]** and strongly supports people staying at home. **[00:55:33]** Typically, these are the Nordic countries. **[00:55:35]** But I think the level of it, **[00:55:37]** for me, it's always a mirror, **[00:55:39]** the level of services for **[00:55:41]** the weakest or for the elderly **[00:55:43]** reflects what kind of society it is **[00:55:45]** and how much priority this topic has for it. **[00:55:47]** And for us, it's simply not a priority, **[00:55:49]** and so it looks the way it does. **[00:55:51]** When there is no pressure from us in the productive age **[00:55:53]** to develop these services, **[00:55:55]** no politician will have it as their key issue **[00:55:57]** and will not take systematic steps **[00:55:59]** to improve it, because they know no one **[00:56:01]** really cares that much. **[00:56:03]** Once a senator told me, who would care **[00:56:05]** about nursing homes when there are **[00:56:07]** queues of elderly people in front of them? **[00:56:09]** It's all a bit off, **[00:56:11]** and that's why I say again, **[00:56:13]** we have to start **[00:56:15]** with the awareness that it concerns us **[00:56:17]** already now, because if we only address it **[00:56:19]** when we're bedridden, we won't solve much. **[00:56:21]** So it's a reflection **[00:56:23]** of what kind of society it is **[00:56:25]** and what dignity or priority it gives **[00:56:27]** to old people. **[00:56:29]** And recently, **[00:56:31]** I was answering someone that I often go on vacation **[00:56:33]** to Crete, to villages where there is no one, **[00:56:35]** and where everyone, I think, **[00:56:37]** is about a hundred years old. And those are **[00:56:47]** especially the women. They are **[00:56:49]** very strong ladies who **[00:56:51]** run things with a firm hand. And the idea that **[00:56:53]** you would say, for example, here you can **[00:56:55]** cut out time for an activity or something, **[00:56:57]** is unthinkable. **[00:56:59]** Even there, the perception of women, **[00:57:01]** especially in the family, is so different, **[00:57:03]** that it just... Of course, there are also facilities **[00:57:05]** for seniors, but there is **[00:57:07]** a visible respect **[00:57:09]** especially for the older women here, **[00:57:11]** and the care **[00:57:13]** reflects that. For us, it's interesting **[00:57:15]** in the Roma community that **[00:57:17]** you practically don't find any Roma community **[00:57:19]** in senior homes. **[00:57:21]** People have it set up so that **[00:57:23]** with children, paradoxically, it's the opposite. **[00:57:25]** There are many in children's homes, **[00:57:27]** but not so with seniors. **[00:57:29]** So again, it depends on how and who **[00:57:31]** we have it set up with, and the level follows. **[00:57:33]** I... **[00:57:35]** One of the things, **[00:57:37]** which was an aha moment for me, **[00:57:39]** was when we were talking **[00:57:41]** about those well-equipped **[00:57:43]** homes, **[00:57:45]** but that there actually isn't **[00:57:47]** that warm human **[00:57:49]** heart. **[00:57:51]** So how is it really with those **[00:57:53]** caregivers now... **[00:57:55]** Is it about the money? **[00:57:57]** I know you said to raise your fingers. **[00:57:59]** You can tell Honza wasn't really listening. **[00:58:01]** I'm just thinking, **[00:58:05]** that here **[00:58:09]** asks, **[00:58:11]** when do you think there will be enough **[00:58:13]** capacity of caregivers, meaning? **[00:58:15]** There will be, once we as a society **[00:58:17]** realize that it simply can't be done without those people. **[00:58:19]** I'll illustrate it with an example: when COVID hit, **[00:58:21]** at the beginning people applauded **[00:58:23]** healthcare workers from balconies, **[00:58:25]** and even then I was thinking, I'm curious **[00:58:27]** what will happen next. **[00:58:29]** And then we applaud, and what? Nothing happens, **[00:58:31]** of course. And these are our **[00:58:33]** quick actions, to show **[00:58:35]** solidarity, **[00:58:37]** even with the war in Ukraine, where it all **[00:58:39]** goes wrong again. But we are very **[00:58:41]** active and fast in crisis help, **[00:58:43]** but a bit lazy to invest **[00:58:45]** long-term. And at the moment **[00:58:47]** when it gets to the point **[00:58:49]** that a large part of people **[00:58:51]** are dealing with care for their loved ones, only when **[00:58:53]** they simply can't anymore and are **[00:58:55]** actually exhausted, **[00:58:57]** and then at the last moment look for some facility, **[00:58:59]** there is not much space. **[00:59:01]** For me, it's about how **[00:59:03]** the caregiving profession is talked about in the media. **[00:59:05]** We just had three roundtables about this, **[00:59:07]** and everywhere we discussed that when **[00:59:09]** media report about caregivers specifically, **[00:59:11]** they portray them as just those worn-out ladies **[00:59:13]** who just hold things together. And when there are **[00:59:15]** doctors, they are the gods **[00:59:17]** who make the decisions. This really **[00:59:19]** influences people's perception **[00:59:21]** and the profession. When you realize that, **[00:59:29]** As it is in the news... I rarely heard **[00:59:31]** a perspective on caregivers **[00:59:33]** presented in a way **[00:59:35]** that includes some pride. Usually, it's about **[00:59:37]** it being a tough job and that women **[00:59:39]** just manage to get through it. So it's like **[00:59:41]** prestige is hard to find there. **[00:59:43]** At the moment... I don't remember **[00:59:45]** the name of that MP. **[00:59:47]** His name was Kainar, **[00:59:49]** from ČSSD, about three years ago, **[00:59:51]** on Facebook, saying who would want to wipe **[00:59:53]** the butts of old demented elders. **[00:59:55]** These are things that seem, **[00:59:57]** like isolated incidents... **[00:59:59]** but there are so many of them that they create an overall picture, and again it's about **[01:00:00]** how we look at the profession, whether as some kind of angels, **[01:00:05]** or just those who wash and feed, it starts with our perspective. **[01:00:09]** Even instead of focusing on concrete material support, **[01:00:14]** we should consider who does this job, under what conditions, and not push so hard **[01:00:19]** for higher quality care for our loved ones, gradually raising the topic **[01:00:23]** so it reaches where it should. I hope that was clear. **[01:00:26]** Yes, yes, now I'm afraid to ask more questions. **[01:00:30]** No, of course. **[01:00:33]** Strong Simona. **[01:00:37]** I always get worked up when I talk about this, **[01:00:38]** then I calm down. **[01:00:40]** No, no, no, honestly, I admit I was the one **[01:00:42]** who, when I first sat with you for coffee, said, sure, **[01:00:44]** now we have virtual reality and all this. **[01:00:50]** I remember it well. **[01:00:54]** Because I am someone who really sees **[01:00:56]** that technology can do a lot of good. **[01:00:58]** And you virtually knocked me out. **[01:01:00]** And I thought to myself, oh my God, here we go again. **[01:01:03]** You're very kind. I left completely exhausted. **[01:01:05]** But still, I wonder if technology can play some role in the future there. **[01:01:08]** And I'm not saying we'll just put helmets on everyone, **[01:01:26]** like with virtual reality, to take us somewhere into another world. **[01:01:29]** But if there is already some trend, or if you see something somewhere that works? **[01:01:35]** Definitely, there are systems that simplify administration. **[01:01:39]** And that's a big problem, that many of these people unfortunately work a bit inefficiently, **[01:01:45]** because they have a very outdated way of keeping records. **[01:01:48]** It also piles up on their desks, tons of various notes, **[01:01:53]** papers that take up a huge amount of time. **[01:01:56]** Of course, the caregivers are from a generation that isn't quite used **[01:02:01]** to working with technology. Honestly, I'm not, **[01:02:04]** and I'm not exactly someone who uses paper diaries and all that either. **[01:02:08]** Presentations in Canva too. **[01:02:10]** Presentations in Canva, that's my masterpiece, that I can make them there. **[01:02:14]** But otherwise, I'm not someone who's completely merged with it, **[01:02:17]** so sometimes there's a bit of resistance to it. **[01:02:21]** So there's definitely room for improvement. And once we manage to simplify **[01:02:24]** this formal administrative process, people can have more time **[01:02:28]** to devote to their loved ones. But I worry about ideas **[01:02:33]** that virtual reality or technology would completely replace **[01:02:37]** human care. I can imagine a robot **[01:02:42]** cleaning or something like that. Those kinds of tasks, yes. **[01:02:44]** But when it comes to direct human contact, **[01:02:47]** none of you want to die with a robot **[01:02:51]** singing to you or something. You want someone there, **[01:02:55]** holding your hand, maybe even silent, but present. **[01:02:58]** And that's probably the key. **[01:03:01]** I actually go to a place, as I told you, **[01:03:05]** where it's good to touch on this topic. **[01:03:09]** And there we talk about technologies, **[01:03:13]** but at the same time we see this side. **[01:03:17]** It's a good shepherd. **[01:03:19]** And it's really interesting there, **[01:03:21]** that I heard the population will actually split **[01:03:24]** into caregivers and programmers. **[01:03:27]** These will be two huge directions **[01:03:29]** that humanity will go. **[01:03:31]** Because there won't be much in between. **[01:03:33]** Our colleague Karolina Putová said in an interview **[01:03:35]** that IT specialists and caregivers are the professions of the future. **[01:03:40]** Yes, that's right. And I just want to add to that, **[01:03:44]** that I think it's obviously right **[01:03:47]** what the company is creating with those technologies, **[01:03:51]** to apply it across all fields. **[01:03:53]** But actually, it bothers me that people don't start by **[01:03:56]** going to a senior home and seeing **[01:03:58]** how things really are and asking questions. **[01:04:00]** Instead, they invent everything from the desk, **[01:04:02]** overwhelmed by the idea of how great it will be. **[01:04:05]** But why not go there and spend some time? **[01:04:08]** If you want to empathize with seniors and caregivers, **[01:04:11]** the cheapest and most direct way **[01:04:13]** is to spend a few days there and observe. **[01:04:15]** You don't need any virtual reality for that. **[01:04:17]** You can just sit down **[01:04:19]** and identify more than you'd like. **[01:04:21]** And if this, again, is about respect, **[01:04:24]** and if people who have the chance to develop **[01:04:26]** various technologies were willing to spend some time **[01:04:29]** and focus not on their ego but on the needs of those people, **[01:04:33]** I think it would be great. **[01:04:35]** So I believe it can generate a lot of interesting things, **[01:04:37]** but it's important to stop seeing seniors **[01:04:39]** as someone lying in bed, **[01:04:41]** and that's all there is to it. **[01:04:43]** That's not the case. **[01:04:45]** I also encountered another kind of data, **[01:04:49]** Vladimir Šucha from the European Commission. **[01:04:51]** He mentioned that 25% of people, **[01:04:55]** every fourth person in the European Union, **[01:04:57]** will suffer from loneliness. **[01:04:59]** And that this is something growing enormously. **[01:05:01]** And it's not just about seniors **[01:05:05]** lying somewhere. **[01:05:07]** How to actually build relationships properly? **[01:05:13]** Besides what you said, **[01:05:15]** that within yourself, in the family, you need to be aware, **[01:05:17]** try to tell us something about that? **[01:05:19]** I actually don't know any other way **[01:05:21]** than to really start with yourself. **[01:05:25]** For me, it was, **[01:05:27]** if we stick to a specific example, **[01:05:29]** That twenty years ago, **[01:05:31]** when I was starting in the field, **[01:05:33]** I was completely passionate. **[01:05:35]** I worked from morning till night. **[01:05:37]** I lived and breathed it. **[01:05:39]** Of course, it didn’t end well. **[01:05:41]** And when my health stopped me, **[01:05:43]** I thought, **[01:05:45]** no, this is not it. **[01:05:47]** It led me to set up my daily rituals. **[01:05:49]** I mentioned some here, **[01:05:51]** I have many, **[01:05:53]** and my personal approach is **[01:05:55]** that my main ambition is to be **[01:05:57]** as balanced as possible. **[01:05:59]** Or to work on feeling balanced, **[01:06:01]** to sleep the eight hours **[01:06:03]** that I need, **[01:06:05]** to have enough time for what I love, **[01:06:07]** to eat well. **[01:06:09]** And actually, it’s these **[01:06:11]** simple, ordinary things **[01:06:13]** that I think, **[01:06:15]** when a person starts to notice **[01:06:17]** and allows themselves to make time for them, **[01:06:19]** when you have this, **[01:06:21]** you can move to the level **[01:06:23]** of your family. **[01:06:25]** What works there, what doesn’t, **[01:06:27]** where there are blind spots. **[01:06:29]** I don’t want to deal with it, **[01:06:31]** but maybe I should. **[01:06:33]** Life is hard work. **[01:06:35]** But I think that’s kind of the point, **[01:06:37]** to overcome the challenges life brings **[01:06:39]** and step by step, in small parts, **[01:06:41]** try to **[01:06:43]** strengthen relationships **[01:06:49]** with your closest ones, **[01:06:51]** since we only have one set of parents, one set of grandparents **[01:06:53]** and it's really sad, **[01:06:55]** when it doesn't work out. **[01:06:57]** But I know it's hard. **[01:06:59]** I never had any major conflicts **[01:07:01]** with my parents, but I also felt **[01:07:03]** those various childhood grievances, **[01:07:05]** that you carry with you. **[01:07:07]** But it was really important for me, even with the help of a therapist, **[01:07:09]** to figure it out, **[01:07:11]** because it's a way that leads you **[01:07:13]** to a certain inner freedom **[01:07:15]** to a place from which you can **[01:07:17]** function well. **[01:07:19]** I don't know if that's concrete enough, **[01:07:21]** but I honestly can't explain it **[01:07:23]** any other way than this **[01:07:25]** primitive way. **[01:07:27]** I think that **[01:07:29]** even therapeutic care **[01:07:31]** is very much **[01:07:35]** not fully accepted, **[01:07:37]** as if it should be something shameful. **[01:07:39]** I treat it like when I go **[01:07:41]** to dental hygiene once every six months, **[01:07:43]** I go to therapy, **[01:07:45]** and I see it as part of a package **[01:07:47]** that keeps me well, **[01:07:49]** and I don't need to be stigmatized **[01:07:51]** for having some trauma from somewhere. **[01:07:53]** And I feel this is something **[01:07:55]** we will probably **[01:07:57]** have to deal with too. **[01:07:59]** I think it's **[01:08:01]** taking care of yourself, **[01:08:03]** or mental hygiene, which I think **[01:08:05]** is a huge topic, and recently, **[01:08:07]** during the Ukraine situation, of course the beginning **[01:08:09]** was a huge shock and I had to **[01:08:11]** uninstall social media from my phone, **[01:08:13]** because, of course, like everyone, I was doing this, **[01:08:15]** checking in the morning if Zelensky is alive **[01:08:17]** and what Dana Drábová is writing, **[01:08:19]** people we all follow, **[01:08:21]** and I told myself, I'll just sleep here **[01:08:23]** and the first thing I'll do is start stressing again, **[01:08:25]** and I said, **[01:08:27]** I don't want to do that, as the first thing, **[01:08:29]** to make it an automatic habit, **[01:08:31]** so I uninstalled it from my phone, **[01:08:33]** and I look at social media, **[01:08:35]** which I use during the day on my computer, **[01:08:37]** but three times less, and it really **[01:08:39]** helped me a lot. I don't watch the news at all, **[01:08:41]** I just read some headlines at most, **[01:08:43]** and I think keeping that distance **[01:08:45]** is very important, and when things are worst, **[01:08:47]** what helps me is to walk. **[01:08:49]** I walk a lot, **[01:08:51]** I use public transport when I have to, **[01:08:53]** like when I have a long way to go, **[01:08:55]** but otherwise I really try to walk, **[01:08:57]** because it really slows you down. They say **[01:09:01]** your walking rhythm syncs with your heartbeat, **[01:09:03]** and it's something that calms me down a lot **[01:09:05]** and often helps me find answers **[01:09:07]** when I have unresolved things on my mind. **[01:09:09]** And I think the saying 'you need to walk it out' **[01:09:11]** has some truth to it, **[01:09:13]** I realized that recently, so if you don't feel like **[01:09:15]** going to therapy or working **[01:09:17]** on some relationships, maybe try **[01:09:19]** taking a half-hour walk before bed, **[01:09:21]** because it's truly a miracle. **[01:09:23]** I think it's a shame that we underestimate **[01:09:25]** these very simple tools **[01:09:27]** and the power of nature, it's something **[01:09:31]** fascinating what a person can find there, **[01:09:33]** when they tune into it. **[01:09:35]** Everything is there. **[01:09:37]** I really thought a lot about that topic, **[01:09:39]** and I keep thinking, and it also occurred to me, **[01:09:41]** that you had in that presentation **[01:09:43]** your rituals, how it is. **[01:09:45]** And I also feel that because of, **[01:09:47]** how it is here, **[01:09:49]** how young we are, meaning as a country, **[01:09:51]** and how we have been through **[01:09:53]** a revolution and so on. **[01:09:55]** So I see a lot in our older generation that they did everything for us and sacrificed themselves, and those are exactly the entrepreneurs, **[01:09:57]** who worked from dawn till dusk, and now it shows in their lives, and I actually think, **[01:09:59]** that when I compare it to the Dutch example you mentioned, there is a much bigger trajectory there, **[01:10:00]** that we might start realizing this here, and our children then, but the bad news is that it's a long haul. **[01:10:08]** Now, surprisingly, I'll be positive, I totally agree that this is some developmental phase of society, **[01:10:14]** that it's still quite early, it's not even 30 years since we've been functioning in a democratic way here, **[01:10:20]** and in that time, a lot has moved forward and improved, and I remember when I founded the first nonprofit in 2005, **[01:10:27]** I had to explain to companies why they should support anything at all or they didn't understand what charity was, **[01:10:34]** and look where we are today, a billion is raised in a month to help Ukraine, people here know how to handle the first phase excellently, **[01:10:42]** and we really know how to step up, be very active and help, and I think we talked about this just yesterday in a meeting, **[01:10:50]** that this is hugely underestimated, that people here are rarely thanked for doing such things and don't take it for granted. **[01:10:56]** I'm just pointing out that this is only step one, but thank God that step one is happening at all, and I feel **[01:11:03]** that all of us have done at least something, whether during COVID or the Ukraine situation, which is not little at all. **[01:11:12]** Looking at it from the perspective that even I can do something and actually take action is fantastic, **[01:11:21]** so I'd be positive about this, but unfortunately, we're in a time when not everything can be good yet. **[01:11:27]** I think we're still learning, learning to work with personal responsibility, learning to perceive **[01:11:33]** that the system really won't do anything for us, and that the system should support us, not that we are its slaves, **[01:11:39]** and these are all things that aren't fully set up well yet, but it takes time, **[01:11:46]** and I'm convinced that it's on the right path. **[01:11:53]** Actually, with Dan Prokop, who just did that study, looking at things from a long-term perspective **[01:12:00]** is very necessary and very important, so if you haven't seen it, definitely check it out. **[01:12:06]** Another thread of our discussion is how seniors are actually portrayed in the media. **[01:12:09]** That's another thing we both agreed on, and I'd like you to tell us something about how it really is. **[01:12:16]** Well, if you think about it, I don't know what image comes to your mind, but usually, there are shots from senior homes, **[01:12:23]** where people do some childish activities, or sometimes there's an archetype of a hero, someone who has done something great, **[01:12:57]** But we rarely see people, say 75+, portrayed as independent individuals with their own opinions. **[01:13:09]** Usually, it's someone stealing from some pensioner somewhere, or someone with pots—it's always these types of stories. **[01:13:16]** COVID showed so incredibly how it's even possible that someone thoughtlessly decided to lock up, **[01:13:25]** adult people in some institution—I just can't understand it at all. **[01:13:29]** A very positive step was Zvěnohradský 12, actually from a podcast, where they approached three people around 80 or 90 years old **[01:13:39]** and asked them to write a reflection on how they perceive the topic. **[01:13:43]** And that is a completely different perspective. **[01:13:47]** In contrast, on Seznam Zprávy during COVID, there was a caregiver who had a camera on her protective shield **[01:13:54]** and filmed her typical workday. **[01:13:56]** She walked through the rooms handing out coloring books to the people. **[01:14:00]** And she said, Mrs. Nováková, last time you colored it so nicely. **[01:14:03]** And they presented it as the caregiving profession. **[01:14:07]** And I thought, that just can't be right. **[01:14:09]** And if you put side by side the topic of the three people Zvěnohradská 12 asked about how they see this issue, **[01:14:15]** and the lady who is handing out coloring books, you can see the difference. **[01:14:19]** And if the media learned not to talk about elderly people as **[01:14:24]** grandmothers and grandfathers—that term is terrible to me. **[01:14:30]** They are not just grandmothers and grandfathers. **[01:14:32]** That's just a role they fill, at most, towards their close ones. **[01:14:36]** And it's disrespectful to speak about these people collectively like that. **[01:14:39]** So even things like how we name them, what we ask them, how we portray them, **[01:14:44]** are ways to actually change our perception of these people **[01:14:50]** and look at them with more respect and get rid of the illusion **[01:14:53]** that we know better than they do what they need. **[01:14:56]** I can add something from the other side. **[01:14:59]** The effort to solve things for these people sometimes comes from our concern for them. **[01:15:04]** We are afraid that they are losing strength or something, **[01:15:08]** and we feel we have to protect them. **[01:15:10]** I caught myself during COVID. **[01:15:12]** When it started, there was such a panic that I called my parents, **[01:15:16]** who are retired but fully functional, healthy, everything, **[01:15:22]** and told them they shouldn't go shopping anymore **[01:15:26]** and should order groceries delivered. **[01:15:28]** Then I thought, no, you can't do that to them. **[01:15:31]** It's their free decision. **[01:15:33]** So I backed off, but it was also motivated **[01:15:36]** by the desire to protect them. **[01:15:38]** And when I realized I had no right to do that, **[01:15:40]** they told me, 'You know what?' and went shopping. **[01:15:43]** They didn't care about my model at all. **[01:15:47]** I caught myself realizing that this is so deeply rooted within us. **[01:15:50]** And it's again about perception and conscious approach. **[01:15:57]** Besides your opinion, why is the topic of aging and care a taboo in the Czech Republic? **[01:16:03]** Because we don't perceive aging as something that brings value. **[01:16:08]** We don't understand the value it holds. **[01:16:10]** It's because we live very fast, we're used to it. **[01:16:13]** We live in such luxury that we can, within a minute, **[01:16:17]** buy a plane ticket to the other side of the world. **[01:16:19]** We can buy whatever we want. We have everything here so far. **[01:16:22]** And we actually have no need to reflect on the fact **[01:16:29]** that sometimes it makes sense to stop and perceive something **[01:16:34]** that has a different quality. **[01:16:38]** We are so overwhelmed by our daily functioning **[01:16:41]** in everyday life that we don't think at all **[01:16:45]** about the essence of life itself. **[01:16:47]** We don't perceive life as a circle. **[01:16:49]** We see it as a line that we move forward and upward on, **[01:16:52]** always wanting more. **[01:16:54]** I used to think that way too, but when **[01:16:56]** I started working in a senior home, **[01:16:58]** that line closed into a circle for me. **[01:17:01]** And sometimes I realized the perception of time **[01:17:04]** and how every life phase actually has its own value. **[01:17:08]** We recently discussed this with my colleague **[01:17:10]** Karolína Půtová, with whom I always philosophize **[01:17:12]** about our topics. **[01:17:14]** I told her it's really interesting **[01:17:17]** that different generations were strongly connected **[01:17:21]** with nature and natural processes in it. **[01:17:25]** Whether it's the seasons or what each phase tells us. **[01:17:29]** That winter might... **[01:17:31]** Now I've really gone deep into this. **[01:17:34]** That winter might lead us **[01:17:37]** to stop and look inside ourselves. **[01:17:40]** We've completely forgotten this. **[01:17:42]** And my colleague Karolína said to me, **[01:17:44]** yes, yes, we study in detail how each neuron works, **[01:17:49]** but we're only now discovering, aha, March has arrived. **[01:17:52]** We laughed about how completely disconnected we are **[01:17:55]** from the basic simple things. **[01:17:58]** And therefore, we have also disconnected from old age, **[01:18:01]** because we see no value in it. **[01:18:04]** We feel that it's good—you no longer work, you need help, **[01:18:07]** we'll put you aside, we don't have the part for it, we'll pay for it, **[01:18:10]** but don't hold us back. **[01:18:12]** We have to earn money so we can buy something again. **[01:18:15]** It's about the priorities of each person and society. **[01:18:18]** And unfortunately, at the head of this state, there is no one, **[01:18:21]** who would raise this topic. **[01:18:23]** I think it's very important to have a leader, **[01:18:26]** who is aware of the priorities and values on which society **[01:18:29]** should grow, and that is not here yet. **[01:18:32]** You mentioned finance and education. **[01:18:35]** As some causes of the current state, **[01:18:38]** where do you think change should come from—the state, **[01:18:41]** or is there also a role for commercial companies? **[01:18:45]** I think it goes hand in hand. **[01:18:48]** Commercial companies are very involved, for example, in senior homes. **[01:18:52]** Many developers build various facilities. **[01:18:56]** The problem is that it only pays off from 130 beds upwards, **[01:18:59]** which, in my opinion, is a bit too large. **[01:19:02]** So that's not really the direction. **[01:19:05]** But generally, I think it's good when companies **[01:19:08]** get involved because it can nicely stimulate the market. **[01:19:13]** I think this topic can't be tackled from just one side. **[01:19:17]** In the sense of adding more money, increasing education. **[01:19:20]** It's a comprehensive approach. **[01:19:23]** And we are currently raising it. **[01:19:26]** Through specific examples where we work, **[01:19:29]** we raise it by naming the reality, **[01:19:32]** we raise it by increasing the prestige of the profession. **[01:19:35]** And commercial companies, I think it would be good, **[01:19:38]** if people who are managers and know how to run such facilities **[01:19:41]** came to lead senior homes. **[01:19:44]** If people with these skills **[01:19:47]** were not, for financial reasons, **[01:19:50]** which I completely understand, only in the commercial sector, **[01:19:53]** but wanted to develop this segment as well. **[01:19:56]** Because everyone needs money. **[01:20:00]** And I understand that when a person can earn two hundred thousand as a director of some company, **[01:20:06]** So you can't have a nursing home director working for sixty. I understand that, but **[01:20:10]** if somehow the conditions for these professions improved and it attracted people from business, **[01:20:16]** I think that would help a lot. Even in our team, there are people from business, **[01:20:21]** including the girls who handled communication, and Alžběta, who does HR, **[01:20:25]** the principles are basically the same. So we somehow bring that in there **[01:20:30]** and we sense at the level of individual homes that it's precisely the personal support **[01:20:35]** and the weak spots in how to lead those teams, how to work with them. **[01:20:40]** On the other hand, it can't be done by a company just coming in and suddenly **[01:20:44]** starting to train someone. That brings me to the second half, which is social. **[01:20:50]** It's very important for me to always perceive that it's a social facility, **[01:20:54]** that there are people with certain needs, and sometimes the disadvantage of commercial entities **[01:20:59]** entering this is that they often forget that and aren't tuned in to it, **[01:21:03]** and they focus more on performance than on the subtle material level **[01:21:07]** on which it should actually be based. So for me, it's about capable people **[01:21:11]** in social services management, about the willingness of people from companies to support the development of nonprofit organizations **[01:21:19]** not just materially, but to really find an organization close to them, **[01:21:25]** whose cause they relate to, and to invest money so their people are well paid. **[01:21:31]** There are nine of us, and we have no specific material costs. **[01:21:35]** Our budget is around two million, and that money is needed for staff salaries and operations. **[01:21:43]** And actually, when someone approaches us wanting to buy specific things, **[01:21:48]** I refuse because I don't need that. **[01:21:50]** I need to properly secure our team, and if companies would open up more and understand **[01:21:55]** that nonprofits can be equal partners if they choose wisely, **[01:21:59]** and could offer some of their capacities at the organizational level, **[01:22:03]** and really work constructively and respectfully to raise the issue together, **[01:22:08]** that would be the ideal path for me. **[01:22:10]** I don't think people from the commercial sector need to go into direct work at all costs. **[01:22:15]** I think their know-how and strength lie elsewhere, and it's great to offer that to nonprofits **[01:22:21]** and accept that you won't see the specific lady or child or something **[01:22:26]** where the help is reflected, but that you're helping to raise the whole system and the issue. **[01:22:30]** I see huge potential there. **[01:22:32]** So it's like expert volunteering? **[01:22:34]** Expert volunteering, but it actually works here. **[01:22:36]** Sometimes it's a bit ungrasped, like it's either some short-term consultation, **[01:22:43]** which makes no sense because before you realize what the nonprofit actually needs, **[01:22:48]** I sometimes sense a kind of condescension from companies, as if they go there **[01:22:55]** to people who barely know how to turn on a computer, sometimes they look at **[01:23:02]** what's going on in these nonprofits as if they're stuck in the past, and sometimes they offer help in a way **[01:23:09]** that lacks respect. It's about listening. **[01:23:13]** But I have to say, many companies already do this, and we manage to find partners, **[01:23:17]** who lead discussions with us, partners to whom I can say no, we don't do this, this doesn't make sense to us **[01:23:23]** and they ask, what would you need, and together we look for models, **[01:23:27]** how to actually set up cooperation that makes sense for both sides. **[01:23:31]** I feel that a very strong impulse was the entry into palliative care by Andrii Vlček **[01:23:38]** and their gift simply showed some kind of chordal path as well. **[01:23:41]** I know a few other entrepreneurs wanted to follow that in some way, **[01:23:44]** so when these people and companies get involved, it also becomes a highlighted topic in the media. **[01:23:50]** It becomes a topic that is praised. **[01:23:53]** Definitely, the trend of wealthy, successful entrepreneurs deciding to invest in the development **[01:24:01]** of non-governmental organizations and these topics is amazing and very motivating for others. **[01:24:07]** It even creates a sometimes amusing competition about who gives more, **[01:24:11]** but thank God if it's about this, it's so great. **[01:24:15]** I really like that these people from the highest business circles understand very well **[01:24:20]** how these organizations operate, and often, when you look at interviews with them, **[01:24:24]** they often raise the expertise of the people working there, **[01:24:28]** they respect those who hold managerial positions in nonprofits, **[01:24:32]** and actually, if you go through the stories of the last two years, **[01:24:37]** none of them base their activity on just buying material things and stopping there. **[01:24:43]** These are all projects that come with some systemic solution to a problem. **[01:24:48]** They are professionally thought-out strategies aiming to recruit quality people to their teams. **[01:24:54]** And that is a huge service to how non-governmental organizations are viewed differently. **[01:25:01]** What they do is great. **[01:25:03]** Before we finish, I wanted to ask if there is any activity **[01:25:08]** in this direction, like towards children. **[01:25:10]** Already now, if something is happening in this area. **[01:25:13]** Like towards children? **[01:25:14]** Actually, the topic of aging and so on. **[01:25:17]** If someone is showing children, hey, you should care for your parents, your grandparents. **[01:25:22]** If something like that exists. **[01:25:24]** In relation to aging? **[01:25:25]** Yes, yes, yes. **[01:25:26]** I don't know, that's actually an interesting question. **[01:25:30]** I don't know, I don't know. **[01:25:31]** I think there are many activities trying to develop education. **[01:25:35]** Paradoxically, we encounter that there are parallels. **[01:25:39]** Like in education and social services. **[01:25:41]** Teachers, caregivers, children, clients. **[01:25:45]** Prestige, profession, salaries. **[01:25:46]** It's really often like a copy-paste. **[01:25:48]** And again, it depends on what priority it has for us, **[01:25:53]** but I think fortunately there are quite a few activities happening in the field of education. **[01:25:58]** And if they work with the topic of intergenerational relationships, **[01:26:02]** there are some activities here and there that specifically connect children with elderly people. **[01:26:07]** But again, I think it needs to be more deeply embedded. **[01:26:11]** And it's mainly about the example we set for the children. **[01:26:14]** What kind of parents they are, what kind of relationship they have with their own parents, **[01:26:17]** how they actually function. **[01:26:18]** And what they then pass on to the children they raise. **[01:26:23]** Because that's where it starts. **[01:26:25]** I was kind of hoping we'd end up like this. **[01:26:28]** Because how we behave towards our parents is exactly what our children see. **[01:26:32]** And it's exactly like a carbon copy. **[01:26:35]** Simona, I wanted to thank you very much. **[01:26:38]** Thanks for the talk. **[01:26:39]** I'm laughing. **[01:26:40]** So that's nice. **[01:26:41]** Thank you, I'm glad. **[01:26:42]** So, that was Simona Bagárová. **[01:26:45]** Thanks. **[01:26:46]** Thanks. **[01:26:49]** Thank you so much. **[01:26:50]** Thank you very much. **[01:26:52]** So, I'm still preparing my presentation here. **[01:26:57]** Thank you very much for letting us know on the slide how you liked it. **[01:27:01]** Please, vote. **[01:27:02]** There are stars and also three words **[01:27:06]** that this breakfast somehow brought to your mind. **[01:27:10]** We'll make an interesting word cloud out of it. **[01:27:13]** I'll see if the partner already told us that it's voting. **[01:27:19]** Yes, yes, it's there in the back. **[01:27:22]** Five is good. **[01:27:24]** Five is good. **[01:27:26]** What is actually very important, **[01:27:29]** and I also realized it somehow in hindsight, **[01:27:31]** is that one thing is to listen to a lecture like this, **[01:27:34]** but it might be good to go a bit deeper into these things, **[01:27:38]** to think it over a bit, discuss it maybe with other people, **[01:27:41]** whether from your family. **[01:27:42]** So of course we have prepared some space for sharing for you, **[01:27:46]** we have prepared a form for you regarding the Aha Moment, **[01:27:48]** but what I want to say is that on April 6th, with Simona and guests, **[01:27:53]** whom you can see here, I tried to invite people, **[01:27:58]** who deal with this topic, **[01:28:00]** or are already more experienced, **[01:28:04]** or on the contrary, are very young, like Miki Škoda, **[01:28:07]** so that we can discuss it from all possible angles. **[01:28:09]** So if you make time on April 6th at four o'clock, **[01:28:13]** you can join us on the Zoom platform. **[01:28:17]** I remind you that the Red Button project, book of the month, **[01:28:21]** is something we enjoy doing. **[01:28:24]** Miki Škoda just recommended the three-body problem. **[01:28:28]** I think very nicely, and I also wanted to highlight it, **[01:28:32]** inspiration from Baťa Gabina Končítikova says, **[01:28:34]** first take care of yourself and by that you save the whole world. **[01:28:36]** Save yourself first and save the whole world, **[01:28:38]** as Tomáš Baťa said, which is really beautiful in this, **[01:28:41]** he talked about energy, like I must first go to myself. **[01:28:44]** Watch EDUtéka. **[01:28:46]** And next time, on April 21st, for Earth Day, **[01:28:53]** I have prepared a treat and we will welcome Atapana, **[01:28:57]** we will welcome Indian Měslav Zelený, **[01:29:00]** who will tell us about a virtual world, **[01:29:06]** which we can connect to, so this will be a completely different excursion **[01:29:10]** to a completely different world that actually has different rules, **[01:29:13]** and I believe we can learn a lot from it **[01:29:19]** and take many things from it, so on April 21st before Earth Day, **[01:29:24]** from 8:30, either here or wherever you are watching us, **[01:29:28]** I will be very happy to see you. Take care. **[01:29:31]** Thanks again, Simona. Thank you all. Stacked and bye. **[01:29:35]** Thank you. **[01:30:00]** www.arkance-systems.cz