Hlektra Papageorgiou, 78 , Greece

Hlektra Papageorgiou lives in a private home in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Daily life

"I meet often with my son and my granddaughter and grandsons. I also play cards with my friends, Mimis, Despoina and Maria. Since losing my daughter I have not been doing so much, but under different circumstances (and if I had more money) I would go on trips, to the cinema, to the theatre. When you are old you have a lot of time to do things that you like!"

Looking back, what advice would you give to younger people?

"I had a crazy life full of trips, friends, games, sports and motorbikes. I would advise younger people to tell the truth all the time and to truly love someone from the bottom of their hearts."

Falls prevention

I fell in 2007 in our cottage house in Chalkidiki and I hit my knee. I am not at all concerned about falling, but I stopped wearing high heels and I always wear sport shoes now."

Physical activity

"I love walking. I usually walk 30 to 45 minutes per day. I really love it because it clears my mind, gives me pleasure and makes me happy."

Formal and informal care

"Most of my health care is provided by a general practitioner. He gives me prescriptions for the medicines that I want to buy and performs a regular check up.

"I believe that the health system here in Greece is totally unorganized. It would be really efficient if the doctors would be more punctual. Also, when you call the public service (IKA) to book an appointment sometimes it takes a month or two to be seen by a doctor. And if you do not have the money, you cannot go to a private clinic. So a big and drastic change needs to take place in order for us to get some benefits."