specific needs of children and elderly left behind as a ... - IOM Moldova

The health of family members The involved perception in the of migration labour migration process
Even if the community, neighbours, social workers provide support to
these people, it is not enough for the lonely elderly to have adequate living
conditions. The example of a lady aged 61 who lives alone in rural area
shows this. The woman mentions that she receives the most help from her
neighbours: “There are these women... who are my neighbours and I pay
them 5 or 10 lei and I ask them to buy and bring products from stores... and
there is another women who does my laundry... The social worker sweeps
sometimes... She also helped me to gather some spices for my soups to pickle
them... She weeded my garden... and then she brought us cherries... And the
nurse comes to take my pressure” (III_E_10). We found out during our discussion
that the old woman suffers from urinary system problems, needs
constant care and treatment, but this is not being done in the absence of a
close person. The aid she receives is provided more for altruistic reasons
from those surrounding her, but it is insufficient for a sick person who is
unable to take care of herself.
A serious problem for older people is to provide heating during the cold
season. Many of the interviewed elderly say it is very difficult to provide
heating during winter with their pension. This is what a pensioner aged 77
told us: “I’d need more firewood but there is no one to give it. Nobody gives
anything... I received my pension and a 260 lei social allowance... I bought
some coal, but I almost have no firewood... I use a little coal, what else could
I do? How do I stay warm?” (III_E_16). No heating and low temperatures
in the room can cause the elderly, who are already suffering from temperature
disorders, severe health issues (inflammatory diseases, infections,
etc.). In this context it should be noted that lonely elderly who are sick,
have low mobility, lay more in bed, but need constant care (hygiene, bed
linen changed, etc.) The lack of support from close persons, even with the
existence of social assistance services (obviously inadequate for such cases),
makes these people live in poor, unsanitary and cruel conditions. This
is confirmed by the experts participating in the focus group discussions.
Due to the poor socio-economic context of the Republic of Moldova it is
impossible to ensure decent living conditions for all the elderly who remained
left behind, especially during the cold season. Some experts have
proposed to open more centres (shelters) for the elderly, where these people
could live in a satisfactory environment: “To open centres, shelters for
elderly, where they would be temporarily placed, they can be free of charge
(state) or there may be a fee for it because the state cannot cover these expenditures!
Children should pay for their stay...” (FG_ EE_urban).
The elderly who live in a shelter tell us: “If we are at home we need coal,
firewood to live... but the prices are way too high... There is a washing machine
in here, it washes the laundry, it dries it, and they ply it and you
just have to go to change” (FG_E_4_rural_asylum). There are similar
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