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

Policies and mechanisms existing on the protection of children and the elderly
tle hence this category should develop more services but at that time our team
and the commission had a little bit of a split in opinions ” (FG_EE_urban).
The majority of interviewed experts agree with the idea of the necessity to
develop a range of services relating to money for this category of people:
”there are children who would pay someone to take care of their parents
but also elderly who would leave the house to the authorities in order to
receive care” (FG_EE_urban_rural). This is proven by international examples
where such services already exist: ”I know that abroad services for the
elderly are provided and funded for by the government. Additional payments
are also taken from the children. Indeed, when the elderly who are cared for
by Moldovan people are not paid it means that the government pays for them
depending on how the elderly worked and the rest of the sum is paid by the
family or out of a person’s pension. I think this is very good, if children leave
easily and have the possibility to take care of elderly they should pay” and
national experience: ”in Straseni “Neohumanistul”, operates and renders
services also for money, and many people desire to pay so to benefit from
centralized services” (FG_EE_urban_rural).
On the basis of data collected during the research we have unveiled a
number of issues about organizing and providing support services to the
elderly left behind by children-migrants:
• Lack of services destined to the elderly left behind: “We do not have
services specifically created for the elderly left behind. There should be some
laundries, special interest clubs for the elderly, psychological recovery services
or communication, although in our country volunteering is less developed
it should also involve the elderly” (FG_EE_urban_rural);
• Insufficient existence of social services for a larger category – the elderly:
“anyway we don’t have enough services to help them solve certain
issues. Even the social canteen…there should be 23 people to provide such
services…it is very difficult for the elderly…” (FG_EE_urban_rural);
• Limited range of existing social services for a larger category – the
elderly: “we should focus on creating alternative social services different
from residential ones, that are more efficient thus being more cost-effective
and that ensure an individualized approach. Therefore home-care services
should be developed as well as family based care (one social worker per one
beneficiary). At present there are no family-type services in place but it is
in the plan” (III_EE_8); “it refers namely to the diversity...as we can not say
that these disadvantaged people need only social canteen services, social
benefit or only home-care services or specialized services. There is a need to
open a multifunctional day care centre where the elderly could spend their
time or maybe a recovery centre where they could benefit from a massage
if they have fractures and then they will become independent” (III_EE_7);
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