China News Service, Ningbo, March 24 (Linbo) In Ningbo, Zhejiang, there is such a cafe. The staff of the cafe are all community volunteers. The average age is 70 years old. It is also known as the "oldest" cafe in Ningbo. .
This cafe called "Lohas Old Girlfriend" is located in Wan'an Community, Nanmen Street, Haishu District, Ningbo City. Recently, the author visited this cafe to learn about the "enjoying old age" story behind the "oldest" cafe.
Without this cafe, Gong Naodi, a resident of Wan'an Community, would have a daily life of going to the community to dance in the morning, going home to take a nap at noon, and walking with friends in the evening.
Gong Nondai (first from right) making coffee. Photo by Lin Bo
"Although it is dull, it is also stable, and occasionally I wonder if I can find something to do." Gong Nundi was born in 1950, and her daily life is relatively regular. "Actually, I like coffee very much, and so do my children, so the community launched coffee After making the course, I signed up immediately.”
According to Xu Jianying, secretary of the Party Committee of Wan'an Community in Nanmen Street, this place was originally an urban study room. In October 2023, a caring company donated a coffee machine. "With the suggestions of residents, we transformed this place into a 'book cafe' , recruiting volunteers from elderly residents to serve as coffee shop waiters, and carried out relevant training, and also issued health certificates for the volunteers."
The "Lohas Old Girlfriends" cafe officially opened recently. Currently, each cup of coffee in this cafe sells for 9.9 yuan, and all proceeds from the cafe will be included in the community mutual wealth fund to support community construction.
For Gong Nundi, this is not only a job or a volunteer service, but also a "ray of light" in her retirement life.
"I'm very happy. I feel younger when I'm with young people drinking coffee. I'm not afraid of getting old. I look forward to tomorrow every day." Gong Nandi said with a smile that making coffee is not difficult, the difficult thing is to carry out it. Latte art creation, now she also has a new goal - to work hard to improve her latte art skills.
As aging continues to intensify, China is facing multiple challenges in elderly care. How to "age happily and gracefully" has become a hot topic of public concern.
Zhao Jingyi (first from right) serves coffee to the guests. Photo by Lin Bo
"Retirement" is more important than "enjoyment", this is the outlook on life of cafe worker Zhao Jingyi.
"I enjoy this kind of life very much." On weekdays, 65-year-old Zhao Jingyi likes to communicate with young people, listen to them share the latest popular "Internet memes", and learn some Internet vocabulary. "Although people are old, their mentality I also want to keep up with the trends of the times and be a fashionable senior citizen."
"I'm very happy to be recognized." Occasionally, some young people will take Zhao Jingyi for a group photo, praising the coffee she makes is delicious and the way she makes flowers is very handsome. "Being affirmed and recognized makes me very excited. This is also the meaning of my service." ".
"At the Lohas Old Girlfriends Cafe, what you drink is not just coffee, but also warmth and companionship." Xu Jianying said that currently, there are 28 volunteers in the cafe, with an average age of 70, and they will also be older Focus on providing a variety of activities and services to meet the diverse needs of the elderly for life.
80-year-old Lin Zhongfu is a new fan of this cafe.
"Drink a cup of coffee, chat with friends, and play Muay Thai together. The elderly should also live at their own pace." In Lin Zhongfu's view, although his body is getting older, his mentality is getting younger and younger.
The small cafe carries the love of ordinary life, and the story about "enjoying old age" in the cafe does not stop there.
In Shanghai, there is also a public coffee shop where the staff are all retired people. Here you can not only drink professional-level coffee, but also receive training and exchanges on smartphone operation, piano playing, etc., or provide legal and elderly care services according to the needs of the elderly. Consultation in all aspects builds a platform for the elderly to make a difference.
Through these cafes, we can see that with the improvement of living conditions, "aging happily and gracefully" has become the pursuit of more and more elderly people. They are no longer limited to traditional ways of caring for the elderly. They are willing to experience all aspects of life and try new things. By participating in various activities, they make life full of rich colors and make their old age more colorful. (over)