Pearls in North

When people get older they become more passive. This behavior is a significant problem as it contributes to the physical decline and makes them more dependent on the care system. Being passive is both the cause and the consequence of physical decline. The challenge is to break this negative spiral and motivate them to start being active. Pearls in North is a service to stimulate new people in Humanitas to discover places in their neighborhood. The spots are small businesses in the neighborhood; it can be a café, a restaurant, a shop, an ice cream shop, a bakery or a cultural place. They would send personal invitations which offer a discount for two people, so people are stimulated to go with somebody else, a neighbor or a friend. Every month there is a different activity in another spot – The Pearl of the Month. Over a year people are introduced to twelve Pearls and the threshold to go there again will be smaller. This results in more movement outside Humanitas because people know what to expect. When people make a visit, there is the possibility to write a review and make a picture with it. This review will be send to Humanitas and will be hanged on the central display in the atrium. These reviews can inspire other people to visit the Pearl of the Month as well.

Puck Siemerink
M. Sonneveld, H. Anderiesen
master thesis, June 2011