“Our Mission Is to Prolong Clients’ Lives,” Galina Perstin

Food is obviously very important. What kind of meals do you offer?
They love shashliks meat or chicken kebabs, cutlets, Russian soups. We have people from Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan. Some of our staff also have parents or relatives from these countries and together we come up with some great recipes, and have a few laughs along the way. We try to give people the healthiest possible diet and also the variety they need to keep them interested.

I can see most of them keeping up appearances? How important is that?
That’s very important. People need to look their best. That way they feel their best too. We have a hairdressing salon which is very popular with the men and women here. Looking good helps make you feel good about yourself and the world, too.

We encourage our people to get dressed up, buy and wear nice clothes. It helps build their self-esteem. They often want us to help them choose their clothes. We give advice on what to wear, colors, etc. Then they buy new red tops, for instance. We want them to look good. We also invite into Fairview people who sell nice clothes and jewelry. I think the clients really appreciate that.

What kind of entertainment do you arrange for your clients?
We have a variety of recreation programs six days a week. People come here to enjoy our programs. On an average day, they arrive at 8 am, do exercises and have breakfast. At about 9.25 am some join social groups, others do physical therapy, and the rest take part in recreational activities.

Cards, quizzes, chess and other games are popular here. We also hold discussion groups, sometimes on political topics. There was a victory parade on Russian TV the other day, so we discussed that. We do quizzes like “Name That Tune” – they adore remembering the old Soviet songs!

Each program usually lasts about 30 minutes. Our aim is to get people to enjoy themselves. We organize dance classes and yoga sessions. We are constantly introducing new programs. People don’t want to listen to the same old songs all the time. They want new music, too. We put on a variety of concerts, including ones by famous Russian musicians.

Some of the groups are run by the clients themselves. They have fun, encourage others to take part and help to make people feel at ease and enjoy themselves. This is really important for their emotional health.

What about those who are less inclined to take part?
Some are active, some less so, but we try to involve everyone. We give everyone
maximum attention, and create a warm and friendly atmosphere. We know them so well, better than their families. We have frequent chats.
We know some people can be depressed. We try to engage with them, and get them involved. They talk about their problems. We try to talk about the old days and help them reminisce.

They have Russian newspapers to read. At the same time, we avoid some political topics that might make them sad. One relatively new thing is the provision of computers with better internet access. We try to encourage people, even those who are not so mobile, to learn new things. This keeps their brain active and can be very rewarding.