the second youth of seniors

On Tuesday morning, the elders go to a weight training room near Angers (Maine-et-Loire) to maintain their bodies and social bonds. Maurice Chalard is one of the elders of the club, which has almost a third of seniors. Once a week, this 85-year-old retiree comes to work on his muscles and his balance. “The older you get, the more it rusts. That’s why I do maintenance.”he confides.

All week, Maurice takes care of his wife, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease. He only allows himself one to two hours of activity away from her. He also appreciates the atmosphere of the boules club, a typically Angevin discipline that is played… in slippers!

Getting older and continuing to meet people is possible! For those who live and know the history of their small town by heart, associations are looking for locals to guide tourists off the beaten track. Associations are also looking for seniors to tell students in schools about the “life before“, explains journalist Valérie Heurtel, on the set of 13 Heures. Finally, certain municipalities open the school canteen to seniors, where they can share the children’s meals.

Watch the full report in the video above.