Women's Portraits

Willie Eppel

“Old and Young should live together and profit from each other.”

Willie Eppel, bookseller, old people’s nurse, voluntary librarian, inhabitant of a newly opened intergenerational flat. 

Herta: “Which circumstances induced you to change your profession in your mature years?”

Willie Eppel: “At the end of the eighties there were difficulties in the book trade, many mergers took place and the liquidity was tight.”

At that time Ms. Eppel worked in the book shop in Vienna. According to many clients she was one of the best informed booksellers of Vienna. Unfortunately her boss got financial problems and therefore Ms. Eppel decided to give notice. At the job centre she learned “Sorry, there are no free jobs in the book trade”. At the age of more than 50 years it was difficult to find a job. She also had private problems at that time, she had a daughter and was a single parent (divorced) and her parents were already old and not healthy any more.
So Ms. Eppel decided to begin something completely different. She took a job at the home of the Caritas Socialis in Vienna and immediately started with the training as an old people’s nurse. After some time she left the place of work and changed to the old people’s home of the “Österreichische Jungarbeiterbewegung” (ÖJAB) = Austrian Young Workers Movement (www.oejab.at/) where she now has been working almost for twenty years first on the staff and now on a voluntary basis.

Ms. Eppel who loves books as well as the opera – when she was young she worked as a supernumerary in the Vienna State Opera – from the beginning of her work in the old people’s home made it her job to provide the old people not only with nursing but also with culture and education. She soon started to bring wheelchair users to the opera – there exist special places for them.

She took over the Public library from the Parish Church at Neumargareten which had a room in the old people’s home.
She manages the library non-bureaucratically and has become a contact person and confidante of the persons living in the home. She is pleased when somebody picks up a book or one of the five daily newspapers she has subscribed.

Herta: “How was the cooperation with people of different origin and age distribution?”

Willie: “Already in the book shop and at the State Opera I got in touch with many different people. Often tourists and other people asked me all sorts of questions. Therefore I don’t have any difficulties with older people nor with colleagues in the old people’s home who come from many different countries. In the home I have the possibility to transmit my interest in books and culture. I have the freedom to do whatever I want in this field and in the meantime I have quite a reputation as an institution.”

Herta: “Why did you decide to give up your apartment and to share a flat together with different generations?”

Willie Eppel: “About 2 ½ years ago I was asked whether I would be interested to share the flat with other people of different generations. As an inquisitive and open-minded person I could imagine a similar life for me. Old and Young should live together and should profit from each other’s different experiences of life.
People should keep as far as possible their autonomy and self-determination.
At the moment I am the only senior but I don’t live there permanently. For the time being I brought my piano to the flat share which can now be used by the other occupants. In the flat share there are often birthday and other celebrations and events.”

Herta/Gerti: “In your opinion from your many experiences with older people during the last 20 years what is important for an active ageing? Is there a special approach necessary?”

Willie Eppel: “Here near me sits Ms. St. who in spite of her  Macula degeneration watches TV and comes each day to the library. I read to here from my newspapers. She knows so much and has a lot of experience. I also remember Ms B. who unfortunately died, I was very angry about this. She was such a clever woman but she had a heart attack and was gone.”

Herta: “Is the previous level of education important?”

Willie Eppel: ”If you always were interested in literature and culture it will be the same when you are ageing. It is necessary to keep contacts with other people and not to isolate oneself.”

Herta: “Do you have people with whom you can speak about literature?”

Willie: “Yes, with my former colleagues from the book shop. The younger people from the flat must still grow into it. If they want to read my papers they must come to the library.”

We go into the garden of the old person’s home where people meet for coffee and a chat.

Herta and Gerti thank Willie for the interview.

Wilhelmine Eppel, born in 1939, bookseller, old people’s nurse, voluntary librarian, expert of literature who is pleased to transmit her knowledge to older people as well as to young people sharing the flat with her.

Herta Spitaler, Gerti Zupanich