On 13 November 2023, in Forlì, managers, employees, and guests celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 'Casa Mia' rest home together. Numerous civil and religious authorities were also present.
The anniversary saw numerous speeches, group games with the elderly guests, and a rich final banquet.
Retirement home “Casa Mia” is a social outreach initiative of the Adventist Church in Italy, and part of the worldwide network of Adventist healthcare institutions. Casa Mia looks to take care of the elderly in an appropriate environment, caring for each person’s needs and habits.
The director of Casa Mia, Fabian Nikolaus, commented: “Surely Casa Mia represents an important response to the needs of the citizens of Forlì, especially the ‘third age’ group. Thanks to the excellent work of the operators, Casa Mia has always been characterised as a structure of excellence and we, therefore, have an excellent relationship with the authorities.” He concluded, “We also manage to work to establish strategies together. Casa Mia represents a point of reference for the entire region.”
Giuseppe Cupertino, director of the Adventist Social Service in Italy, explained, “Our mission is to offer, to the elderly person, adequate assistance when they are no longer able to provide for their needs and wants on their own.”
Director Nikolaus added: 'Now, Casa Mia is finishing the last stage of a specialised centre for people with neurodegenerative dementia diseases such as Alzheimer's. This is an important nucleus within the facility [and it will] also be an even more important qualification."
Andrei Cretu, president of the Italian Union of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, stated: "Our mission as a church goes beyond what happens on Sabbath in church, and what is done in the nursing home is an example of this because our mission is to care for others. Thus, we are here also witnessing a fruit of the gospel that has been ripe for 40 years.”
More about the history of Casa Mia
Casa Mia Onlus was established towards the end of the 1970s on the initiative of a project designed to accommodate self-sufficient elderly people. Over the years, various transformations have led to the structure being adapted to the increasingly non-self-sufficient conditions of the guests, to meet the new and growing needs of the area. The facility has been modified and enlarged, becoming a reference centre for users with diversified needs.
Inaugurated in 1983, the facility has undergone profound changes and, today, while maintaining a close link with its founding principles, Casa Mia has reached a new dimension. It has gone through a process of professionalisation and staff qualification to guarantee services and interventions tailored to the different needs of its users.
From a structural point of view, four major renovations were carried out (in 1992, 1999, 2008, and 2014) with the aim of increasing the accommodation capacity and adapting the rooms to the new regulatory and functional requirements of the service.
A highlight of Casa Mia’s history was when the former president of the Italian Republic, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, accepted an invitation from former Italian Union President, Vincenzo Mazza, to attend the opening of new facility part of Casa Mia in 1998. The president’s presence transformed the low-key event into national news. People across Italy who had never heard about the Adventist Church were introduced to the church and the seventh-day Sabbath.
Casa Mia has been affiliated with the Regional Health Service since 1997.
The institution is also a member of the European-based AdventCare Network, which seeks to provide support and expertise to health organizations and services in line with the Adventist health message. According to its stated goal, its aim is “to share God’s love through the example of the ministry of Jesus Christ, by providing physical, mental, social and spiritual healing and well-being.”
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