The Ministry of household and Social Policy allocated PLN 30 million to the programme. A drop in the sea of needs – says Dr hab. Paweł Kubicki.
– This is an amount more appropriate to piloting (...), not to the fresh and theoretically widely available service. In Poland there are 1.6 million seniors aged 80 plus and over 7 million people over 65. – Of course, not all of these people live alone and request regular support from their neighbours – explains the social policy expert. – But even if you request 1 100 of them, 30 million zlotys isn't enough.
The worst is in the countryside
Society is ageing, and the problem is compounded by cultural changes. Multigenerational families surviving together, helping their weakest members, are becoming increasingly rare. However, the organization aid strategy is inefficient.
"The day-to-day facilities are not enough, and from large 24-hour facilities in the form of social assistance homes we should leave, due to the fact that this is simply a solution that is not human-friendly. According to Prof. Kubicki, the support of neighbours will be increasingly desirable, especially in villages distant from offices, wellness centres and shops.
Not just neighbors
– But vicinity aid is just 1 of at least a fewer elements of elder policy to be introduced – informs Prof. Kubicki. – What we truly request now, and urgently, is wellness prevention, so that we do not gotta increase the number of people in request of support....
Don't politicians know that according to the Central Statistical Office, by 2060 all 3rd citizen of the country will be 65 plus? They read statistics, but...
– They read electoral posts even more carefully and can measure the behavior, actions and promises that affect these posts. And apparently, according to their calculations, spending billions of zlotys on the improvement of the full system... will give little than cyclically introducing further cutting-off programs that will let the policy to transfer a contractual cardboard check: “Money from organization X or Y”.
