'I Am Here': Art helps older people fight social isolation

An initiative promoting art as a means of social integration for older people begins today in Sofia's Borisova Garden, according to Radio Sofia of Bulgarian National Radio. The second summer edition of the 'I Am Here' project offers free morning classes in Latin, ballroom and Bulgarian dance, along with therapeutic outdoor exercise for people aged 60 and over.

'We all need to make our presence known and not wait for others to find us,' says the project's choreographer and director, Nadezhda Dicheva. 'We're working with a generation that has lived through difficult times, a generation that finds it hard to assert itself and put its own needs first. We want to broaden access to the arts and use them as a preventive measure against the key challenges older people face.'

Ms Dicheva says 'I Am Here' helps combat social isolation while improving psychological, emotional and physical well-being.

Editor: Diana Tsankova