Feature Story IslandLife Xp Bonaire
Aging populations are a common phenomenon in the western world and Bonaire is no exception. More and more senior citizens end up alone, in need of help and/or attention and the waiting lists for care get longer and longer.
Our senior citizens who are still able to live in their own home and familiar surrounding are blessed in one way, but the loneliness and the need for some assistance make it necessary for some to visit senior daycare facilities. Pasadia Villa Antonia, located in Antriol, is one of these daycare homes.
Pasadia Villa Antonia
Villa Antonia celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2017. The foundation FKBG (Fundashon Kuido I Bienestar di Grandinan Boneiru) with its chairman, Orlando Meijer, and the location manager, Filomena Winklaar, are responsible for the smooth operation of Villa Antonia.
With a care contract from ZVK (health care) and the professional assistance of Fundashon Mariadal (coordinating care organization), Villa Antonia is secure in its continued activities.
The clients are safely picked up and brought home by busses especially equipped for their special needs such as wheelchairs and personal assistance. Villa Antonia is open during the week from 7:30 am – 3:30 pm. The clients receive breakfast and lunch and take part in daily activities. Holiday celebrations and day trips are special occasions for the elderly and they can look forward to these several times a year.
FKGB works closely together with the Plataforma Fundashon Kultural (Culture) to offer weekly courses in dancing and instruments and with the Adventist congregation who provides weekly exercise classes. Villa Antonio has made a name for itself with our senior citizens as a house that gives both attention and care and has …the best lunch. Even though special diets are given the utmost attention, the pleasure of a good meal is much appreciated here. The presentation of a healthy traditional Bonairean meal has made Villa Antonia one of the most favored places to be.
Expansion
At the moment, Villa Antonia is partly under construction. The ever growing waiting list has made it necessary to expand the house and configure the facilities to meet the needs, and sometimes special needs, of its clients. Right now, more than 50 clients are taken care of weekly by Villa Antonia in their temporary location. After the expansion is complete, Villa Antonia will have the space and facilities to care for up to 100 clients.
The good soul
Filomena, the location manager and nurse, takes care of the elderly with much love, respect and attention. Even though she wishes she could work a little less, she won’t because she knows she is needed.
Filomena started taking care of others early in her life. When she was only 8 years old, she would ask around her Antriol neighborhood to see if she could help the elderly around the house or do their shopping. Filomena has worked her 40 years as a nurse, mostly with elderly people. She has learned that patience and respect for various personalities are most important and maybe it is the reason why she has been told over and over again that she is the perfect nurse for our senior citizens.
Filomena moved into a home on her kunuku (farm land) a few years ago. There she hopes to create a greenhouse and grow her own vegetables and eventually grow old in these quiet surroundings. She hopes to stay healthy for a long time, but she would come to the day care herself the day it is needed.
Get involved
The expansion of the house will make it possible to house more clients, give them space for different activities and have more facilities for the special needs clients. But of course, these are just the basics and more help is needed and appreciated.
- Volunteer some of your time to assist in activities, day trips or for a simple conversation or companionship.
- It’s the time of the year to clean out your house. Games, magazines and cloth are welcome at Villa Antonia.
- Donations of nice treats like grapes, juices or yogurts are a great change in our seniors’ diets.
Please contact Filomena for more information.
Info
Pasadia Villa Antonia
Contact: Filomena Winklaar
Antriol
Phone: +599 717 26 80