The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old

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But when Hendrik learns of a plan to close the home down he realises life outside it could be much worse. He and the gang must stop the closure before it's too late. Or drop dead trying . . . The result is a story we all can relate to and possibly, one day, find ourselves remanded, as one of its’ inmates (his word). His old club fell apart but every now and then there is a reunion where the former residents get to enjoy some beer and catch up.

Hendrik Groen Series by Hendrik Groen - Goodreads Hendrik Groen Series by Hendrik Groen - Goodreads

It's definitely not a depressing read, don't let the thought of a book about residents in a care home deter you. There are tons of witty funny moments with Hendrik and his friends getting into all sorts of trouble and fun to pass their days. Such as the time Hendrik is invited in for a cup of tea with Mrs Visser which resulted in Fish Gate- three slices of cake, 6 pink fondant fancies and two fish tank massacres. Their day trips out with the Old But Not Dead Club which results in the other residents feeling a bit bitter, a few pet catastrophes, souped up mobility scooters as status symbols, dribbling and horse meat lasagne. I wish I could meet Hendrik Groen because I know I would absolutely love him. This book is one of the most touching, heart-wrenching stories that I have read in a while. Groen resides in a state-funded nursing home in Amsterdam. At 83 years old, he decides to start writing in his diary to pass the time and to “give the world an uncensored expose´: a year in the life of the inmates of a care home in North Amsterdam.” Hendrik Groen proceeds to do just that; I cannot count the times I laughed out loud, and plenty of times I cried as well. He often refers to the residents as “inmates”, and the authoritarian manager, who tries desperately to control things (impossible), is indeed something of a warden, claiming nobody is allowed to see The Rules (those rules they seem to keep bumping up against with their bright ideas). What a change this was from my usual genres, but I'm so glad I read it, it was a pleasure and an honour to share Hendrik's life, if only for a year! Esther Rosenberg & Toef Jaeger, Peter de Smet is Hendrik Groen, NRC Handelsblad, 26 april 2016. Gearchiveerd op 23 maart 2023.Hendrik Groen may be old, but he is far from dead and isn't planning to be buried any time soon. Granted, his daily strolls are getting shorter because his legs are no longer willing and he has to visit his doctor more than he'd like. Technically speaking he is...elderly. But surely there is more to life at his age than weak tea and potted geraniums? Grietje de Boer, a lovely lady, who is friendly and sympathetic without fawning, and Graeme Gorter who appears insecure and introverted but always tells it to you straight. A senhora Voorthuizen chegou e pespegou o seu enorme tra­seiro exatamente sobre o prato com os folhados, sem sequer se dar conta. Hendrik lives in a care home in Amsterdam, and his book gives a lively look at a year in his life from his own perspective. Although he's finding it increasingly hard to get get about these days, he's far from dead, and just to prove it, he and his friends set up the 'Old But Not Dead' club. The club members are each tasked in turn, with arranging an outing in which they can all participate. The results are both refreshing and ingenious. It gives them something to look forward to as well as relieving the monotony of their daily lives. The Old But not Dead Club then spawned a monthly cooking club, plus another two members - Ria and Antoine Travemundi.

Hendrik Groen - Wikipedia Hendrik Groen - Wikipedia

As part of her plan of action to combat the dementia, Grietje has composed, with my help, two new notes she is to carry with her at all times: ‘What to do if I get lost’ and ‘What to do if I don’t remember exactly who someone is.’ Both notes start with: ‘Please forgive me, but I’m a bit forgetful.’

So indeed, yesterday I attended ‘Feel Good Fitness’. It was my first time. And also my last. When it was over and the instructor - ‘Call me Tina’ - gushed that I should definitely come again next week, I told her right then and there that once was enough. ‘Oh, and why is that?’ she asked suspiciously. ‘Because with so much female pulchritude about, I can’t concentrate on the exercises properly. I stiffen up.’ Everybody wants to live forever, said Jonathan Swift, but nobody wants to grow old. The satirist’s opinion might have been reinforced had he lived to read Hendrik Groen’s account of a year spent in an Amsterdam nursing home, a book that became an instant phenomenon when published in the Netherlands a couple of years ago. In doing so, he developed a reputation of being an octogenarian in the mold of Elena Ferrante, even though no one still knows if he is a man, woman, or even an octogenarian.

Hendrik Groen - Penguin Books UK Hendrik Groen - Penguin Books UK

I'll have to grant the author of this novel as having done a good job of taking a living situation of limited appeal and turning it into a fairly interesting story. With dry humor and an optimistic outlook the writing comes across as 365 consecutive short stories with little day to day continuity, but over the span of the year there are clear progressions of various themes including diminished health for some. And a last link – to Publisher’s Weekly which says that Hendrik Groen is an alias. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b... This book brings an intelligent look at the daily life of residents in a care home. It explains what is important to them in their sunset years. I can see parts of this book being used in staff training sessions across a range of industries to explain to workers how the elderly think and understand their world. I found this book very useful and not just in relating to elderly passengers travelling on my National Express coach. My own father is also 83 years old and this month has just moved into a residential care home in Cardiff. This book helped me to see things through my dad’s eyes too. Not only does it give an 83 year old’s take on care homes, other residents, cultural changes and historical events but also the challenges posed to residents who have dementia. Because of the way dementia creeps on, I was blind to my father developing vascular dementia and just thought he was getting old and not bothering to compete for conversation between my mother and my wife. I was concerned how my father would cope with being split away from my mother, put into a care home and accepting his own dementia. What a wonderful old curmudgeon. Hendrik Groen is in a nursing home - he lives in the assisted living section. He decided to keep a journal for one year. He started his journal on January 1, 2013 when he was 83 years old. Seeing the world through his eyes - and the perspective of his closest friends - The Old But Not Dead Club - was a very humorous undertaking. From his mortification of his "dribbling" and leaving yellow stains in his white underpants, to the suggestion that people go to the "shit clinic" and quit bothering him with their whining about their daily constipation or diarrhea stories while he is trying to take afternoon tea and cake. Hendrik is the Grampa that everyone wishes they had.

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The work would spend more than 30 weeks on the bestselling lists in the Netherlands. The work was written as the diary of a man in his eighties who is fed up with the indignities of aging. When this book was published the author was anonymous which may well have had something to do with the criticisms of how the Dutch elderly are treated. Mind you Australia does not do much better! In the book Hendrik and his friends take matters into their own hands and form the Not Dead Yet Club. No matter how old, people need friends they can relate to and occupations which are worthwhile and enjoyable. Together this group create outings which they all enjoy including things people may frown on such as visiting the pub.

Hendrik Groen (Author of Pogingen iets van het leven te maken) - Goodreads Hendrik Groen (Author of Pogingen iets van het leven te maken) -

Hendrik Groen, pseudoniem van Peter de Smet, is een Nederlands schrijver. [1] Hij is de auteur van het in 2014 verschenen boek Pogingen iets van het leven te maken: Het geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, 83¼ jaar. Het vervolg Zolang er Leven is: Het nieuwe geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, 85 jaar verscheen in 2016. Beide boeken wonnen de Publieksprijs voor het Nederlandse Boek / de NS Publieksprijs. O Diário Secreto de Hendrik Groen" é um livro sobre um velho que detesta velhos, e que aos 83 anos e 1/4, optou por um bravo pontapé na velhice! As we move through the day by day diary entries of Hendrik, we learn about the Old But Not Dead Club which he formed – the activities and antics, day trips and support which the members offer each other. There is heartache and tragedy, laughter and fun, all of which makes the days so much better than the usual monotony of sitting gazing out the windows. The envy of the other residents is obvious... Hendrik Groen doesn't like old people. Their zimmer frame shuffle, unreasonable impatience, endless complaints, their tea and biscuits, smells or creaking bodies. Although he himself is 83 years old and lives in a residential care home in the Netherlands. For years it was unknown who was hiding behind the pseudonym. This led to speculation about who it could be. Names from Sylvia Witteman to Arnon Grunberg were mentioned. Both De Volkskrant and NRC Handelsblad revealed almost simultaneously in 2016 that Peter de Smet Hendrik Groen, pseudonym of Peter de Smet, is a Dutch writer. He is the author of the book Pogingen iets van het leven te maken: Het geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, 83¼ jaar ( The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old) published in 2014. That book was awarded in 2016 with the Audience Award for the Dutch Book. The sequel Zolang er leven is: het tweede geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, 85 jaar ( On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen) appeared in 2016.Before long, he is searching for love and in his quest, he starts sprucing himself up. With the spark of rebellion already lit, the group of elderly residents supports each other through tragedies, declining health, and all manner of difficulties. We learn very little about Hendrik’s past. We never discover what he did for a living and are told only a few details regarding the death of his daughter and his wife’s subsequent slip into depression. Hendrik refuses to wallow in unhappiness, and the book is all the better for that. Connections between childhood and old age are well drawn, with moments of bullying and misbehaviour swiftly denied. Indeed, when a hunt begins for a serial killer of the care home’s fish, the culprit, another octogenarian, doesn’t care if he gets caught because “whenever he’s in a tight spot he’ll lie through his teeth, and rant and rave, swearing he had nothing to do with it”. I took a lot from this book and found it a pleasure to read. There is a lovely humour that runs through this book that is all deprecating, for example… In 2017 werden de boeken verfilmd en door Omroep MAX uitgezonden als de televisieserie Het geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, met Kees Hulst in de rol van Hendrik Groen. Scenarioschrijver Martin van Waardenberg bevestigde dat De Smet de man achter het pseudoniem was. [3] In hetzelfde jaar werd ook een toneelbewerking onder regie van Gijs de Lange op de planken gebracht, met Beau Schneider in de rol van Hendrik Groen. [4] In 2019 volgde een tweede televisieserie bij omroep MAX, Het geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, Zolang er leven is.