Students Offered Free Rent in Exchange for Interaction with the Elderly

Hallo! Hoe gaat het met je? (Hello! How are you? in Dutch). Gives you an idea of where the subject of this post is situated. Boy, we do get around...Africa yesterday...USA the day before...). Help yourself to a delicious mug of coffee and a delectable virtual treat while I mutter on...


A Dutch nursing home has come up with an innovative plan to get young college kids to interact with the elderly. They’re offering small, rent-free apartments to the students, in exchange for at least 30 hours a month of spending quality time with their older neighbors.

According to the officials at Humanitas retirement home in Deventer, the students participate in a variety of activities with older residents – watching sports, celebrating birthdays, and offering company when they’re ill. It’s a unique win-win situation – the students are able to enjoy free accommodation, and it also solves the problems of isolation and loneliness among the elderly.

“It’s important not to isolate the elderly from the outside world,” explained Humanitas head Gea Sijpkes. “When you’re 96 years old with a knee problem, well, the knee isn’t going to get any better, the doctors can’t do much. 

But what we can do is create an environment where you forget about the painful knee. The students bring the outside world in, there is lots of warmth in the contact.”

This is the kind of thing that governments should be looking at seriously. Student costs are soaring so being able to live rent free is a big help to a limited budget - and they would bring an energy to senior residences. Ièm all for the idea!

See ya, eh!

Bob