Kinapori Senior Centre is celebrating its 40th anniversary on last week of February. The programme includes a wide range of activities, from a Granny Disco to a 'Joy of Movement' event.
The lobby of Kinapori Senior Centre is bustling. The smell of coffee is in the air and customers are chatting with one another.
Customer Service Advisor Kirsi Mikkonen merrily greets familiar customers and chats for a moment about the day's current affairs.
“The clients here are the best,” she says happily as she continues on her way.
The sentiment is echoed by Instructor Riho Jakobson and Social Instructor Sara Bäckman – all veterans of Kinapori. The trio say that they are like part of the furniture and laugh cheerfully.
“I came to work here in 1986. And yes, all sorts of things have happened over the years. I've seen and heard a great deal, from a fire to a gig by Pepe Willberg and the stunning digital leap of the COVID-19 period,” Sara reminisces.
Although the centre’s services have changed over the years, there is one thing that the trio emphasise: the desire to do meaningful work for older people, now and in the future.
“The customers are what we are here for. Kinapori has always been more than a workplace – it's a community where people live and enjoy life together,” the trio sum up.
Kinapori Senior Centre was built in 1986. The building was quite different when it was first completed and provided housing for older people in a couple of different addresses, among other services.
“The residents had alarm buzzers in their rooms, and we nurses always ran to the apartment when an alarm came, sometimes all the way to Porvoonkatu,” Sara recalls.
“The professions have also changed. There are no more building managers or bathing assistants,” she recalls.
Over the years, Kinapori has expanded to provide 24-hour service housing and service centre services, among others, and has even changed its name from a nursing home to a senior centre.
Kinapori is known for its different, sometimes even experimental, service centre activities.
“The spirit here has always been one of boldly trying out new things. If an instructor has wanted to organise a different kind of course, they have been allowed to do so. There is an atmosphere of freedom for both our clients and employees,” Riho sums up.
A good example of this is the urn course held at Kinapori.
“I held urn courses at Kinapori for six years. The courses always lasted two months at a time. Every time a course ended, there were already long waiting lists for the next one,” Riho recalls.
The same freedom to experiment can be seen in the service housing side of the centre.
“I once arranged a therapy pony visit for the residents of the group homes. The nurses wondered why we had a pony in the kitchen, but the customers were overjoyed,” Kirsi laughs.
“One of the residents at the time was sitting outside in the yard, not making much contact with the others, but oh how their eyes lit up when they stroked the pony's muzzle! These are some of my best memories.”
Since then, the service centre has also become closely involved with organisations, the Helsinki Finnish Adult Education Centre and other City divisions. The need for digital services and digital support has also increased.
“When I started working here, people were asking questions like ‘what is a mouse?’ Now we help with Suomi.fi services,” Sara laughs.
Volunteering also plays an important role in the history and activities of the centre.
“Last year, Kinapori’s volunteering activities celebrated their 20th anniversary. Currently, there are more than 100 volunteers, and they organise a huge variety of activities for the residents and customers. We have even made trips abroad,” Kirsi says.
The trio believe that the future looks bright, but there is always room for improvement. One thing to consider is how to reach new customers.
“People are often in really good shape when they retire and may think that they don't belong in a place like this. That notion needs to change. Healthy 65-year-old pensioners are very welcome here. We offer activities for everyone! You don't have to be really old or have any problems. You can also come by just to visit us, we'll be happy to show you around and tell you about our activities,” Sara and Kirsi say.
When asked if they plan to make use of the service centre's services themselves when they retire, Kirsi says happily, “I'm retiring soon, and I'm going to become a service centre customer right away. Fortunately, there is a nice service centre near where I live.”
And what about the celebrations, will the trio be attending?
“YES!” they all say in unison.
“We've got all sorts of activities lined up for the anniversary week in February. There will be a Granny Disco, a ‘Joy of Movement’ event and a gala afternoon for family members and loved ones. There’s something for everyone.”
“You are warmly welcome to Kinapori!” the trio declare at the end of the interview.
The anniversary will be celebrated on 23–28 February.
