Elma Koskinen, a 95-year-old in Helsinki, lives in our North Hague House in Helsinki. We went to ask him about news and talk about living.
- It's fine. After all, age is not just a figure, five hundred, he smiles.
He is pleased to be able to live at home and meet neighbors. The best thing about the house, he thinks, are good neighbors and good transport links.
- All neighbors are friendly and helpful. As I have sometimes written, "Friendships must be." If you are going to live old, your friendships must be in order.
- Yes, here's the passing here, he laughs sweetly.
Every Wednesday's neighbors drink coffee
The elderly residents of Elma Koskinen's home will meet every Wednesday. Every other meetings are a club for the elderly.
- If there is no club, then we will keep our own. Let's talk about it. Let's drink coffee. Everyone brings something with coffee, one sort but. Wednesday always awaits it, Elma says.
If necessary, neighbors also help each other.
- The phone calls. And next to one Kari always knocks and asks if I need something.
When the air allows, the residents of the house sit in the yard and meet each other. In addition, Elma's children often visit.
"As long as the earth is melting, I can go for a walk with the rollator," he says.
At home nice to live
Elma's homely furnished apartment has a bedroom and a living room-cooker. Relatives' photos and pot yellow daffodils are placed on the bookshelf. The cabinet clock is ticking.
- I warm up the food in the kitchen, he says.
Near the house is the Rodo Park, where many alpine varieties grow.
- When we go there with a friend, we have coffee in the thermos bottle. There are benches there, and it's nice to watch the squirrels running in the trees.
The first residents of the Hague's house
North Hague's Settlement Housing was completed in 2006. Elma Koskinen has lived in the house since the beginning and formerly in Malmi's setting apartments.
- I'm just like a native, he says.
His life has reportedly gone quite comfortably. He moved from Helsinki in Iisalmi at the age of 17.
- I announced a little announcement in Helsingin Sanomat that I was looking for a job where I could deal with cows.
Work was found.
- Then that love took me, he remembers.
Since 2006, a living memory comes to mind at the new Setlement Housing House. Then he still drove the car himself.
- Someone then said here, "Warm is coming, say the old Elma who still drives by car."
He laughs.
