Pensioners' clubs of the city of Vienna

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Pensioners' clubs of the city of Vienna

logo
legal form Non-profit fund under private law
founding 1946 as a warming room, 1962 as a pensioners' club
Seat Vienna
management Gabriele Graumann
Website www.pensionistenklubs.at

The pensioners' clubs of the city of Vienna are divided into 130 "district clubs", which are housed in different bars in all districts. In addition, there are 30 “house clubs” available to all residents of the houses for living and external visitors. The pensioners' clubs are run by the Kuratorium Wiener Pensionisten-Wohnhäuser (KWP). The KWP is not administered by a municipal department. It reports to the City Council Office (Business Group) for Health, Social Affairs and Generations. The president of the KWP board is city councilor Sandra Frauenberger . Gabriele Graumann has been managing director since 2008.

history

It was founded in November 1946 as a social institution to support old, sick and poverty-stricken citizens from the Second World War . There was a shortage of oil, gas and food. Coal mining was also very limited after the war years.

The winter of 1946/47 was extremely severe with temperatures as low as minus 22 degrees. Every household was entitled to half a kilowatt hour of electricity. That was just enough to keep a light bulb glowing for a few hours. In a broadcast on January 13, 1947, Mayor Theodor Körner appealed : "If 100 hotplates are switched off, 4,000 more lamps can burn!"

That was also the ulterior motive behind the creation of the "warming rooms": meeting points with stoves and seating were created at 45 locations. There, hot drinks and soup were served - especially to seniors and children. The visitors' apartments did not have to be heated during the visit and so a lot of energy could be saved. In January 1947 alone, 101,652 hot drinks were distributed in the warming rooms.

Until 1961, the warming rooms were reserved for low-income pensioners under the name of “day care centers”. In 1962 the former day care centers were opened to all pensioners. It was renamed the retirees' club. On January 1, 2001, the entire operation of the pensioners 'clubs was transferred from the City of Vienna to the Board of Trustees of Wiener Pensionisten-Wohnhäuser, combined with the task of developing concepts for modern senior citizens' work that offers the older generation efficient and contemporary care with interesting forms of activity .

target group

The retirees' clubs are open to all older Viennese. Visiting the clubs is free but requires a one-time registration.

deals

In the decades after it was founded, the pensioners' clubs were designed for socially disadvantaged pensioners who could not afford heating their homes and / or hot meals, or not enough. The importance of the retirees' clubs has changed significantly since then. Today the desire for conviviality and common activities predominates. Educational offers are also in demand. For example, most clubs offer internet stations. Computer courses, activities such as Nordic walking or activities such as handicrafts, singing or card games are very popular . In cooperation with the Vienna Health Promotion Agency, new "healthy clubs" are constantly being created. Here, health-promoting activities are on the program several times a week. The spectrum ranges from dancing to singing to virtual bowling. Age-appropriate exercise units or yoga can also be found in the programs such as “healthy snacks”, memory training or lectures on various health topics.

The use of all offers is voluntary. Club visits are also possible without participating in the activities.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ m53vop: Historical review of Rathauskorrespondenz of January 1947. In: www.wien.gv.at. Retrieved March 16, 2016 .
  2. ↑ m53ohs: Historical review of the town hall correspondence from November 1946. In: www.wien.gv.at. Retrieved March 16, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Regionalmedien Austria: Alsergrund: Our seniors are so fit! In: mein district.at. Retrieved March 16, 2016 .