Heart warming together: Philips fulfils wish of Marta and Gineke: 'I really wanted to visit the Philips Museum again'.
What would you most like to do again if the precautionary measures in connection with the coronavirus are relaxed again? Many people have been thinking about this question over the past few months. For residents of nursing homes and care homes, the need to do something fun again was perhaps the greatest.
That is why, as part of the celebration of the 130th anniversary of the company, the involved founder of Samen voor Eindhoven (Together for Eindhoven) let Philips fulfil 130 wishes of elderly people. The kick-off was provided by Hans de Jong; the president of Philips in the Netherlands gave Marta Verhaag and Gineke Roggen an unforgettable day with a personal tour of the Philips Museum.
"Frits Philips already said in 1963: 'Anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur without social awareness is doomed to fail'. Together, we must lay a new sustainable foundation for widespread prosperity. The corona crisis has shown how important that is, but also that it is possible. Together, we make the Netherlands," says Hans.
Looking forward to it for months
For months Marta had been looking forward to the trip. "We really did suffer a lot from corona," she told Hans. The first lockdown was especially tough: "We could only receive visitors with a window or door in between."
In February of this year, the Together For Eindhoven, in order to reduce loneliness among the elderly, the action Heart Warming Together. Over 3,500 residents of residential care centres in the Eindhoven region received hearts on Valentine's Day: biscuits in the shape of a heart, a card with a poem and a heart of paper on which they could write their greatest wish.
Marta didn't have to think about it for long. "The Philips Museum had already been recommended to me by acquaintances, so I really wanted to go there again. My husband worked at Philips, and I like museums very much myself, so I really wanted to visit the Philips Museum again."
VIP tour
She is given a kind of VIP tour, enthusiastically led by guide Jan Sweere. Many stories from the museum bring back fond memories: "We were the first ones to have a TV. I remember it well, those were very pleasant evenings."
Marta is accompanied by Gineke, a fellow resident of Archipel location Landrijt. Her husband had also worked for Philips and his career even took the family to Brazil for a few years: "I can tell you, Philips was also 'your cup of tea' there. You see Philips all over the world.
It is not only the historical parts of the museum that appeal to the two. More and more operations nowadays are performed via a catheter, for example the insertion of a stent," says guide Jan. "Yes, I've experienced that too!", responds Gineke. "I even have three stents."
The tour ends with a drink, and of course a chat about everything that has passed.
Was it what they expected? "I loved it," says Marta. "I really enjoyed it."