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3.4 Finding the general lines.

Gradually it became clear that the title Senior Citizens and Living was far too limited to fully cover the research, because the collected information clearly proved that the living conditions of the elderly are inextricably bound up with the care available and the conditions for well-being.

It was also obvious that senior citizens, provided they were well prepared and were given the proper aid, were more capable of gaining control of the living-conditions and that it was also worthwhile to convey this information.

 

3.5 More arranging of information by pointed questions.

Arranging the matters can be brought about by two simple questions.
Question 1: What do you want this research to generate for yourself?
Question 2: What do you want it to contribute to society?

Answering question 1: What do you want this research to generate for yourself?

This is how the Arnhem participants put it into words:
Suppose a good friend of ours asks for our opinion, can we, being members of this study group, give adequate information?
Naturally this question implies being well informed yourself, which makes this friend not the only party concerned.
A self-study group consisting of senior citizens will try to deal with the theme of research in a creative way by adding something new.
To our mind this creative part showed its full advantage by the process of rendering policy information into practical advice for good friends who find themselves in such a problematic situation.

Answering question 2: What do you want it to contribute to society?

The answer to this question was even more difficult to formulate as it was depending on the extent of social benefit the self-study group wanted to attain.
The first and most feasible goal was a lecture for the participants of U3A, during which we, being a work group, wanted to tell about the factors we had come across that were of importance to senior citizens.
A goal in the form of political decision making in favour of senior citizens seemed less feasible. For being of a certain opinion as a group of participants and ventilating wishes is not the same as actually achieving something.
But over the period of a few months the working group quite unexpectedly got various chances to get involved in political decision making.

The AVSO.
Fortunately the Arnhem Society for the Co-operating Organisations for the Older People (AVSO), showed great interest in our project. The AVSO also offered the participants of the self-study group extra facilities. So-called ¨comprehensive deliberation meetings¨ could be attended.
These were thematic meetings during which experts gave their opinion on certain aspects of ageing. Or meetings with Arnhem politicians, during which wishes of the senior citizens could be expressed.

An invitation by the Arnhem mayor.
The mayor of Arnhem visited the Volksuniversiteit and attended a meeting of our self-study group. We were invited to discuss the report with officials.

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