My week of getting old: Špela, 20, Slovenia

My week living with Veronika has taught me a lot about the life of an older person. Even if I don't end up working with older people when I'm a social worker, I now know I can get along with them and understand them better.

I wouldn't say that I'm looking forward to getting older, but I am not dreading it either. I accept getting older as a part of life, but it doesn't mean I'm not worried about my living conditions.

I‘m well aware that the pension I'll get won't be enough. I'll be working and saving money my whole life to be financially secure in my old age. Life in poor and developing countries isn't easy for anyone. I would say it only gets worse when you can't provide for yourself like some older people.

Life doesn't end at retirement

Spending a week with Veronika made me realise she is an exceptional woman. I know now that life doesn't have to end at retirement. I thought that older people lived in a different universe to me, but I've found a lot of things in common with her - we even enjoy the same British television comedies like "‘Allo ‘Allo" and "Keeping up Appearances"!

This week also made me realise that my generation needs older people so we can learn from the past.

Like Veronika, I think education is really important. I want to keep learning and pursuing my interests just as passionately as she does. She is fair and determined and if I'm not already like her, I'd like to be one day.

Learning English and visiting friends

We did so much together during my week of getting old. I went with Veronika to her English evening class. The same people have been going for ten years. They meet every Monday and then go out for a drink in a tea shop with cosy sofas and bookshelves. Veronika is studying English so she can communicate when she goes away on holiday.

We also went to visit Veronika's friend, Milka, who is one of the most hospitable people I've ever met. They are both in the Novo Mesto Retirees Society and they are working on a project called "Older People for a Better Quality of Life". Milka served us delicious homemade cookies and juice made from peaches, apricots and carrots while she showed us her family album.

We did a lot of fun things like go to a museum, walk along a frozen river and go to Otočec, which is seven kilometres from Novo Mesto and has a beautiful castle on an island in the river. Veronika also took me to Bela Krajina, about half an hour's drive away from her house, where she has her vineyard and winery.

Veronika has a big house, so a lot needs to be done to take care of it. Every Saturday she cleans the stairs and the whole floor where she lives. Every three years she cleans the entire house from top to bottom. She also goes through her wardrobe and donates the clothes she hasn't worn for the last five years to charity.

She mows the lawn and works on the garden where she grows most of the vegetables she eats. Another chore that keeps her busy during winter is fuelling the heating system which still runs on firewood. About two or three times a day she goes down into the basement and refills the furnace.

Older people have so much to contribute

I ended my week by attending a Retiree Society meeting. They were presenting their 2011 yearbook, a short summary of what they had achieved over the past year. They have poetry, painting, theatre, hiking, reading and a crafts group.

The leader of each group stood up and said a few words. Some also read poems or short stories. Every person who presented their work was a complete professional. Their presentations were perfect: honest, funny and heartfelt.

People like Veronika show me that retired people are just like anyone else. It doesn't matter that they don't work anymore. They still have so much to contribute. It would be real waste not to listen to them.