LUDIC ACTIVITIES RE-DELIGHTING OLD AGE IN THE FOURTH ITALIAN COLONY OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL

Abstract

This article is the result of the dissertation titled - Elderly activities with the 4th Cologne: A Case Study of Master of Education / UFSM. The idea to develop this research comes with the living with the group of seniors for four years as a teacher, the need to work deeply the issues raised by the play activities / physical (extension project) in the community of Ivorá, city that belongs to the region of the 4th Colony Italian Immigration in Brazil. We used a phenomenological qualitative methodology, which offers redemption from the "real world", describing the experiences from the point of view of those who live the situation. The objective was to rework the memories stored in the memory of the elderly that had emerged from its origins / traditions of old, through activities such as ludic-educational games, songs and dances. A semi structured interview was administered to 25 people from the elderly group (single, widowed, married couples and women that their husbands did not participate), identified with names of virtues and natural landscapes of the Italy regions. Also, 20 relatives of the elderly and five community representatives. The findings discovered that recreational activities have brought changes in the daily lives of participants and their community. Issues before hidden, forgotten by familiarity (uses, habits and language of common sense), emerged, demonstrating an experience of life stories, the rescue of Italian heritage playful. The conversation, dialect, mate, grapes, wine, work, physical, are alive expressions of a culture that endures across generations and contribute to the preservation of original culture and alternative and innovative ways to live to old age.