#12 Home for home

The tradition of coal mining in Lędziny dates back to the first half of the 19th century. At that time the mine “Radość Henryka” (Henry's Joy) was established, which in time changed its name to "Piast". The mining activity lasted in this place for nearly 150 years. After the depletion of natural resources, the post-industrial spaces fell into disrepair. The last symbol of the mine – the headframe – was demolished in 1999. After the county took over the building, we decided to breathe new life into it, preserving elements of its history, so important for the residents of Lędziny and the entire county. We transformed a building that for decades served as the mine's engine room into a modern Community Services Center. Revitalization work began in 2018. It involved primarily a comprehensive reconstruction of the building and adapting it to the needs of future users. Since we were working on a degraded post-industrial site, we kept uncovering unknown fragments of infrastructure with every shovel stuck into the ground. This, unfortunately, resulted in decisions having to be made to change the way the land was developed and entailed the expenditure of additional funds. Fortunately, the investment was completed on time. On the first floor we set up a day care center and a seniors club. There are rooms for occupational therapy, a recreation and living room, a kitchenette and a winter garden. The second floor has been converted into housing for seniors and people with disabilities. Sheltered housing for victims of domestic violence is located on the second floor. The upgrade work also included landscaping, construction of parking spaces and a gazebo. The building has been fully adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. We built landings, an elevator and ramps. The investment was appreciated by the community of architects and urban planners, as well as residents, winning a distinction in the category "public facility" in the competition The Best Public Space in the Silesia Voivodeship in 2020, of which we are very proud.

Caregiving for dependents works best when it is provided in a place of the residence, which means in an environment they know and among people they trust and like. That is why we have launched a modern Community Services Center in our district, which has three basic functions: a day care center, a senior citizens club, and a group of sheltered apartments for victims of violence, the elderly, and foster care kids. The Day Care Center offers support to the county's oldest residents who are unable to function independently due to their declining health. Seniors can get here professional care and nursing services, as well as various forms of occupational therapy and social skills training. A psychologist and nutritionist are also available to them. To add variety to their stay, we invite special guests. A few weeks ago, they were delighted with the performance by a saxophonist. They also listened with interest to the lecture on apitherapy, i.e. treatment with bee products. And finally, they got a lot of useful information on safety from a representatives of the District Police Headquarters in Bieruń. These kinds of meetings make it possible for seniors, at least in part, to forget about loneliness and troubles of their diseases. We have also launched a seniors' club where residents over the age of sixty can meet, do artistic stuff and develop passions. We offer a whole range of classes: from computer and social media, memory training, music therapy workshops, drawing and painting, to dance and photography classes. We are also planning workshops in acting, culinary workshops related to the promotion of the Mediterranean and vegetarian diet, as well as a foreign language course and even rose cultivation.

We also care for foster care kids and victims of violence. We adapted one of the floors of the building for their needs. Sheltered housing will help residents return to an independent social and professional life.

I am 88 years old, my wife is 85. This year Irena and I celebrated our 67th wedding anniversary. Despite our age, we try to stay fit. In order not to burden our children, we decided to use the support of a day care center operating in the Community Services Center. I am still fit enough to go to the center by car. We spend five days a week here, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is always friendly staff and friends waiting for us, with whom it is always nice to talk or reminisce about old times. This place was built on the site of a former mine where I worked underground for forty years, so I feel sentimental about it. I started working at the mine as an eighteen-year-old. Because times were tough, we had to work hard. And a lot. Sometimes we went underground even on Sundays. There was no downtime. My wife was taking care of the house and children back then. I retired in 1988. I'm glad that when the mine went out of business, someone came up with the idea to put the place to such good use. Today, instead of ruins, we have a wonderfully landscaped area. The former pithead and bathhouse are now home to modern office buildings. What I'm most excited about, however, is the creation of a place where we can count on support in the former engine room. It's important to stay in shape all the time, maintain social relationships, and keep busy. Young people sometimes think that when you reach a certain age there is less desire to live, this is not true. Don't believe it. We want to live. We eat breakfast and lunch at the Center, followed by refreshments. We benefit from many activities. I believe they help us stay healthy and have a good memory. In art class, we paint, draw, sing, and practice memory by solving crossword puzzles and charades. The therapists also do gymnastics, which is very important at our age because we don't get much opportunity to move at home. Spring and summer classes are held outdoors in the garden. We also go for walks often. My wife and I feel comfortable here.