Annual Report 2023

The working group – Hans Nusselder, Joseff Iping, Marijke Lans, Udo Nabitz, Wieke Nolet – met with Floor van Dijk at the WFD in January 2023 to discuss the 2022 annual report and present the plans for 2023. The Executive Board was very satisfied with our work, the projects and the successes. The support for the next three years was promised with the motto "we make the Keizersgracht meetings of ArkinPlus a tradition". The budget for 2023 was promised. The contact persons for HR (Kim Camfferman and Peter Fleijsman) and for Communication were confirmed. Mieke Voet and Kirsten van Wooning are the contact persons for coordination with the Executive Board and Elvira Mooi is the contact person for finances. Floor van Dijk emphasized that Arkin benefits from an active club like ArkinPlus, which has a positive image to the entire Arkin organization. For too long, retirees have had the feeling, partly due to Corona, that the doors are suddenly closing and that it was over. The fact that we constantly emphasize that they have had great value for Arkin will have a positive effect for the retirees and for Arkin.

For too long, retirees have had the feeling, partly due to Corona, that the doors are suddenly closing and that it was over. The fact that we constantly emphasize that they have had great value for Arkin will have a positive effect for the retirees and for Arkin.

In the October 2022 survey during the Keizergracht meeting, 12 retirees reported that they are willing to become active for ArkinPlus. Those colleagues were invited to the Keizergracht on March 1 to think about the content of the meeting in October 2023. The program was described in outline by Joseff Iping. However, only a few former employees were present. Ideas for speakers were put forward and the debate format was welcomed by all. With this we wanted to emphasize the interactive nature of the ArkinPlus meeting 2023 in the church.

As a result of the roundtable discussion in the KGK, Frits Nieuwstraten and Udo Nabitz had taken the initiative for a regulars' table in 2022. In 2023, the regular table Arkinplus was reserved three times in the Freud restaurant in the Spaarndammerstraat in Amsterdam. Each time, about eight people take advantage of the opportunity. These are pleasant evenings with the main theme: life after Arkin. It is striking that everyone is still very active and sometimes works for the old employer. In 2023, they met on February, June and September. After the traditional introductory round, the stories come out. There is plenty of room to share the experiences. Time flies by. It is becoming a tradition that ArkinPlus is the last restaurant to leave Freud. With the greeting: "Thank you and see you next time" we say goodbye.

In April, the annual lunch in East with a club of seven former colleagues from Arkin Elders was set up by Wieke Nolet and Joke van Gijssel and others. It was a reunion of the employees who had their room next to each other in one corridor of the former elderly clinic of AMC-De Meren on the Robert Kochplantsoen. The program included a walk. This walk passed a social housing project from 1870 and via the Muiderpoort to Sint Jacob. This once housed Mentrum's other geriatric clinic and had two floors for chronic psychiatry. Then we walked to the outpatient clinic for the elderly on the Nieuwe Kerkstraat. There we had one nice chance meeting after another with former colleagues and there was an improvised explanation from the part-time coordinator. Finally, we had a drink at a place on the Plantage Middenlaan where four more people joined. The oldest was 85 and the youngest 62. Two people from the clinic had joined. A number of colleagues were on vacation and could not come. Almost all the people who were invited have been contacted. All in all, we think it was a successful day.

On June 15, the Arkin Festival was held. Arkin had as many as 3500 employees in June 2023, of which 2700 came to the Arkin Festival. The Executive Board also drew ArkinPlus' attention to this. The ArkinPlus banner was the landmark for the former employees. All ArkinPlussers were invited through the membership administration. About 40 pensionados have made use of this, according to hearsay. The weather was beautiful and the location was unique: beach, attractions, music, dance, food and drinks, but above all fun. Waiting for a snack was a pleasure because you always met someone you knew. It was also striking that after half past ten everyone left without any problem. Most were impressed by the huge turnout, the special atmosphere, the beautiful location and the beautiful weather. Another successful Arkin Festival.

Three editions of the newsletter were published in March, July and December 2023. The newsletters were distributed to all 167 members. According to the survey, the newsletter is the most important communication tool for ArkinPlus. A regular part is the column written by a retiree. We also look back at previous events and new activities are announced. The editorial staff currently consists of Marijke Lans, Udo Nabitz and Pim Duurkoop. They do their best to compile texts and photos with news value for the Arkin retirees. There will also be room for explanation of innovations within Arkin. All newsletters can be found on the website.

In the meantime, as a working group, we have gained some experience with the preparation for the meeting in the KGK, but the work was again underestimated this year. It is about finding and booking speakers, choosing the themes and the program, arranging practical matters and coordinating with each other. We divide the tasks. Fortunately, as retirees, we have less time pressure. In March, contacts with the speakers were already made and the KGK was discussed. This year we also worked on the basis of a script by Marijke Lans. We have also decided to expand the target group of retirees with Arkin employees who are almost retired. They are invited via the employee portal. The partners of retirees were also welcome in 2023. We visited some speakers in advance and others were spoken to via Zoom or by telephone in preparation. For each attendee we had made a folder with the program, the abstracts of the lectures, the list of participants and a survey form.

On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, Marijke Lans, Wieke Nolte and Udo Nabitz visited the Gezelschap Senioren VU (GSVU). In the main building of the Vrije Universiteit we met with the GSVU for an introduction and exchange of experiences. The GSVU has a long history. It has been in existence since 1993 and has about 220 members. The company is part of the Friends of the VU association, which was founded in 1933. The association is for all employees who have had a contract with VU-VUmc and have now retired. It is an association established to offer members the opportunity to maintain their network and to cherish the bond with the VU/VUmc. Members pay an annual contribution of 15 euros. Monthly meetings are held with lectures. Themes are: Music and Brain, the LASA Study and Healthy Aging. There are guided tours to new departments and buildings such as the Imaging Center VU. There is also a YouTube channel, newsletters – now 128 – are published and there is a New Year's meeting, a members' meeting and an outing by bus every year. Now after the merger with the AMC, colleagues are invited back and forth. After the visit, we went home with concrete advice and points of attention. An eye-opener was that the location of the main building and the hospital is the binding factor for the GSVU. People still know each other from the location and the work situation. For Arkin, the locations are spread across the city, which means that the bond with each other is less strong. The GSVU advised, among other things, to call on the ArkinPlus participants to come to meetings together with a well-known former colleague.

The speakers we approached were enthusiastic and agreed to attend the ArkinPlus meeting 2023. The aim of the program was to organize an interactive debate with the attendees on the subject: Times change and we change with them. The turnout in the Garden Hall was comparable to 2022 with 38 people. The atmosphere was positive again. In the survey we held afterwards, the comment was almost always: continue! The three speakers each approached the subject of "change" from a different angle: societal, healthy aging and philosophical-ethical. The afternoon ended with a creative contribution by Joseff Iping and the pianist Richard Hengeveld in the form of a monologue and a song. This was to everyone's taste. Pim Duurkoop took care of the photo documentation that can be found on the website. Afterwards, the participants received Wies Verbeek's book: 'n Beetje leuk ouder worden.

In our collaboration with Arkin, we are also confronted with the staff shortage in healthcare. Changing officers, little recognizability in strategic policy and limited contact with HR staff were characteristic of 2023. A bright spot is that contact has been made with Arkin's prevention department about the preventive course for people over 60. This course 'Amsterdam Vitaal' is organized twice a year by the prevention department. An announcement for the next course is included in the newsletter and on the website.

A digital consultation was held with Femke Koster, HR contact person and Ruud Ligthart by the members of the working group. The positioning of ArkinPlus in relation to the organization and HR policy was discussed. The working group members see opportunities for optimization here.

Joseff Iping had invited the working group to a lunch meeting at ARTI et AMICITIA to collect and discuss impressions and experiences. This became an intensive exchange and reflection for two hours. The working group members were impressed by the statistics of the survey. As in previous years, Hans Nusselder and Udo Nabitz have made an extensive statistical report. The first reactions from respondents were always: fascinating, inspiring, fun and well organized. The participants' preference for activities are: Stamtafel 46%, Newsletter 42%, Website 35%, Volunteering 31% and Activities 31%. The results of the 2023 survey can be found here.

With the arrival of the new ArkinPlus website, the need for a solid membership administration was born. This will be carried out by Wieke Nolet. New members are approached personally by Wieke Nolet. Emails are picked up immediately. The data of more than 160 members is stored and stored securely in accordance with the Privacy Regulations. The mailings for the invitations and the newsletters that are provided by communication are sent securely in accordance with the protocol. The membership administration is the backbone for ArkinPlus.

In 2022, the ArkinPlus website was launched as part of Arkin.nl. In 2023, new content was added regularly and functionality was improved. Marjo Wolters had set up the website quickly and professionally together with her intern. We are very grateful to Marja Roedolf, who managed the old website, for her work until April 2022. Without a digital platform, the working group would not be able to function. The current website is filled with reports, reports, photos and videos. The current agenda of ArkinPlus can be seen on the first page. The site is easy to find for anyone via Google or via Arkin.nl. Every quarter, the website statistics are reported by communication and discussed in the working group. During the first 9 months, the website was consulted by more than 1000 people. Every month, 50 "new people" look up the website for the first time. This proves that the site is the central communication tool for ArkinPlus, which is also evident from the survey.

The working group – all volunteers – handled the annual budget of 8000 Euros carefully. Less was spent than estimated. The largest cost item with 2500 Euros was the meeting in the Keizersgracht Church on October 19. Together with the expenses for materials, books, working groups, the website, Freud, etc., the expenses amount to almost 5000 Euros. Taking into account the lower expenses and Arkin's cutbacks, a budget of 7000 Euros is requested for 2024. The handling of the invoices and invoices of the debtors went through Elvira Mooi and Mieke Voet. That was fast, cooperative and correct. For the working group, Udo Nabitz kept an eye on the finances.