As part of the "Croatia Volunteers" campaign, on May 22nd Humanitarian Association "Kolajna ljubavi"  visited the St. Anna Nursing Home in Zagreb, where we organized a popular pub quiz for the home's residents.

When you schedule an activity with nursing home residents, expect everyone to arrive a few minutes early, neatly taking their seats in the hall, ready for action. No one was late. The eagerness to answer questions was palpable. Six volunteers from "Kolajna ljubavi" and around fifteen residents gathered in the hall. We quickly agreed on the rules and got started.

We prepared around thirty questions we thought would appeal to this age group, covering topics from music and sports to lamb with onions, geography, and history. The music questions were accompanied by popular songs we all singed along to, serving as intermezzo between questions. The participants answered enthusiastically and energetically. Additional motivation came from the surprise gifts promised to the top performers.

Here’s where we "went wrong":

Even though we were careful not to tire out the players, after all, this is a home for the elderly, our thirty questions flew by so quickly that some residents were disappointed it didn't last longer. So, we immediately added more questions. We tried to choose songs that would resonate with older adults, but participants told us, "Come on, give us Baby Lasagna."

At the end of the quiz, we handed out prizes to the top players and small gifts to all participants. The gifts included cosmetics, towels, and similar items. The pink towel was the most wanted.

The nursing home staff served us tea and delicious cakes afterward, allowing us to continue chatting with the players and agreeing that we must organize another quiz soon, this time with more questions and a "younger" music selection.