Many of the Romanian older people live in poor, isolated rural areas having to struggle with very low incomes that are hardly enough for the daily food. There are no medical or social services and the sick, lonely people survive on the help assured by the neighbors. As a respond to this situation our organisation (Community Support Foundation) has set up a network of home care service to assist 500 sick elderly in 10 rural communities located in the east side of Bacau County.
The older population living in rural Romania is affected by poverty, malnutrition and neglect because of the very low incomes of the category. The target group used to work in collective farms during the communism and their current pension is very low. The health and social care systems are very badly organised, funded and under developed in Romania and therefore people needing care have to rely on NGOs, neighbors or families (most of them work abroad).
We will set up a team of trained home carers and nurses to provide the necessary treatment and support to the homebound, suffering older people living in isolated rural communities. We will provide specific services that will include: personal hygiene, medical treatments (dressing the wounds, incontinence care, etc.), cleaning of the housing, cooking, etc. We try to assure decent living conditions for the sick, dying old people.
The project will serve 500 old people living in 10 rural, poor and isolated communities. The services will be provided by local people, poor women, that will be trained and employed. This will actually change their statute, they will provide a service in the community, will sign a working contract and that will break the cycle of poverty. On long term the projects brings hope for the sick people as well as for the local women that can work in their own community.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
