On October 16th, during its 47th session, the Congress adopted a resolution and recommendation aimed at ensuring access to quality social assistance for older people in the context of aging communities in Europe.
The demographics of European countries show a worrying trend: in 2024, the number of people over 65 exceeds that of young people under 15. The Congress report on the need to ensure older people's access to quality social assistance is therefore timely. Carla Dejonghe, Belgium (R, GILD), co-rapporteur, emphasized the challenges that local and regional authorities must address to achieve this: the growing demand for long-term care, rising costs of home and institutional care, staff shortages, and maintaining quality standards in a context of budget constraints. According to her, better multi-level cooperation between national, regional and local levels should lead to the adoption of more adequate legislation to finance not only sustainable care systems as such, but also innovative measures to allow older people to remain autonomous and live at home for as long as possible. In addition to its proven economic benefits, this new paradigm of home care is also less alienating, provided that cities follow comprehensive approaches in this area, as recommended by the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities Guide, and by providing an age-friendly living environment based on transportation infrastructure and social and health services adapted to their needs, for example.
Fully guaranteeing human and social rights to older people as full citizens would be, according to co-rapporteur Joanne Laban, United Kingdom (L, CRE), one of the priorities targeted by the Congress recommendations. A comprehensive approach should at the same time aim to improve working conditions, training and well-being of caregivers, as well as the establishment of specific funding by national governments to support local authorities in these areas.
Invited to the plenary session, Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto, shared with Congress members the very positive experience of his city, which has joined the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. According to him, the "demographic transition" is one of the great challenges for European local and regional elected officials in the 21st century as it tests the resilience of our societies' humanist values. The labor market and social and health systems will be impacted, hence the need to plan and implement strategies to combat poverty, isolation and discrimination of older people. The 80 projects initiated by the city of Porto, where 25% of the population is over 65, involved the participation of more than 30 local partners: parishes, schools, businesses and associations. About 10,000 older people benefited from these projects, including intergenerational activities, senior universities, taxi systems at bus ticket prices, etc. "Ensuring our populations age with dignity is one of the most important markers of civilization!" insisted the Mayor of Porto.
"Older people should in no way be treated as a burden, but as full human beings," said Sandra Slusnyte, youth delegate from Lithuania. She would like young people to be more involved in policies to help and support older people so that intergenerational transmission is strengthened and seniors can feel able to share the richness of their experience. She drew attention to the situation of rural communes abandoned by young people, but also by public services. Maria Virginia Iliuta, youth delegate from Spain, spoke about the financial exclusion that seniors suffer in rural areas deserted by bank branches, not to mention the digital divide that often represents a subject of despair for those unable to manage online administrative procedures.
Unanimously appreciating the qualities of the report, and the resulting resolution and recommendation, during the debate Congress members emphasized the importance of the financial factor and the need for local authorities to have sufficient autonomy in managing social and medical assistance. They paid particular attention to the burden borne by women who represent the majority of caregivers and especially "informal" caregivers taking care of family members. Faced with the weight borne by women who care for seniors in the family context, Turkish delegates insisted on the well-being of informal caregivers and their social fulfillment. A social worker in France, youth delegate Marie Fritsch sounded the alarm about the distress of poor retirees sometimes forced to choose between a meal and medication, not to mention those who end up living on the street. The particular needs of LGBTIQ+ seniors who suffer more often from isolation and discrimination should be taken into account specifically, pointed out Helen Belcher from the United Kingdom (GILD).
Finally, the debate was also an opportunity for Congress members to share good practices that could inspire their colleagues: cross-border Active Seniors programs or co-housing between young people and older people in Austria, lifelong learning programs in Ukraine, the Dependency Pact in Brandenburg, Germany, Proud to Care in the United Kingdom or day centers in some cities in Turkey.
Mediabox interview with Carla Dejonghe & Joanne Laban, Co-rapporteurs on "Ageing Communities"
