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District Senior Citizens' Day in Unna: Impulses for an active life in old age!
The Twelfth District Senior Citizens' Day took place in Unna on June 26th, which offered valuable impulses for senior citizen work.
District Senior Citizens' Day in Unna: Impulses for an active life in old age!
On June 26, 2025, the twelfth district seniors' day took place in the Erich-Göpfert-Stadthalle in Unna. Organized by the Unna district and the Unnaer Kreis-Bau- undsiedlungsgesellschaft mbH (UKBS), the event was aimed at all those who are involved in senior citizen work. Under the motto “Living and staying active in old age”, exciting impulses were given for the future, which are particularly popular in an aging society. In particular, Doc Esser, known from WDR, caused a stir with his lecture “Healthy without borders – how healthy are borders?” for a lot of attention. Participants also had the opportunity to exchange ideas in person at his book stand and ask questions.
The agenda offered a rich program with lectures that drew attention to innovative housing projects and living concepts. Christiane Hahn from Neue Wohngestalten Unna e.V. spoke about the advantages of multi-generational projects. This shows how communal living creates new forms of neighborhood that can be enriching for older people. Thomas Horster-Möller from VIVAI Software AG worked on smart assistance systems that make independent living at home easier. These technical developments are not just a step into the future, but also offer concrete solutions to enable older people to live safely and independently.
Innovations for a better quality of life
The role of smart assistance systems is becoming increasingly important. According to the research report from the Fraunhofer Institute, these systems use modern sensors and software to support older people in everyday life. For example, they recognize deviations in daily routine or even emergency situations and thus contribute to a higher quality of life. In the ProAssist4Life project, an unobtrusive system is being developed that records movement sequences and informs a trusted person in the event of an emergency if the resident does not react. Such technologies create additional security in your own home.
In order to promote valuable networking between the actors, there were various information stands during the lunch break, including a health kiosk, care and housing advice as well as information from the district police authority. These not only offer support, but also a platform for exchanging experiences and knowledge. The final highlight was an exciting discussion in which District Administrator Mario Löhr, UKBS Managing Director Matthias Fischer and other experts took part to address the challenges of working with seniors and age-appropriate living.
Farewell to a trailblazer
Another emotional moment of the day was the farewell to Hans Zakel, who was retired after almost 36 years. As a social planner, he made a significant contribution to the development of work for seniors in the Unna district and will be remembered positively by many.
Since its introduction in 1993, the District Senior Citizens' Day has established itself as an important dialogue forum that honors voluntary commitment and communicates current developments in senior citizen work. There will also be a wide range of topics at the upcoming German Senior Citizens' Day, from innovative forms of living to the latest technical options for a self-determined life. The exchange and sharing of knowledge is essential in order to continue to increase the quality of life of older people in the future.
For further information about self-determined living and specific events, we recommend visiting the German Senior Citizens' Day website, where detailed information about the program will be available from mid-January German Seniors' Day.
With a clear focus on collaboration and innovation, we are well on the way to continuing to improve living conditions for seniors in our society in the future. It is all the more important to us to continue to discuss the topics of living arrangements, neighborhood assistance and technical support and to work towards ensuring that everyone can live independently in old age.
For further insights into smart assistance systems and their importance for self-determined living at home, it is worth taking a look at the publications of the Fraunhofer Institute, which has developed exciting concepts Fraunhofer Institute.