| dc.description.abstract | In Poland, 12 million citizens are over 50 years old, which is nearly one third of the country’s
population. Therefore activating senior citizens becomes an important issue. The question
that arises is: how to make the awareness of the old age a source of pride and joy instead
of a burden? It cannot be claimed that there is a simple correspondence between people’s
age and their physical, psychic and social activity. Some of the senior citizens are “forever
young”: full of energy, vigorous, following their ever-new interests and passions, curious of
the world, smiling and active. What factors influence their vitality and provides them with
energy? An important role in stimulating the mental activity of senior citizens is played by
their contact with the book. Reading exercises memory, allows us to retain mental abilities
in good shape until old age, and has self-educational function. Reading activates the parts
of brain responsible for information reception and processing and for imagination. Directed
reading provides patterns of behaviour and often helps in identifying the sense and goal of life.
Reading provides strength to find oneself in a new, sometimes challenging situation, and may
help to activate a sick, lonely, or withdrawn person. It allows us to understand ourselves and
others better, enriches emotional life, enables “insights into oneself”, and satisfies aesthetical
needs, according to the Chinese proverb: “a book is like a garden carried in your pocket”. | en |
