Press Release - SenioriNET Federation Launches a Call for Dignity for the Elderly
The SenioriNET Federation expresses its concern regarding the increasing abuses faced by elderly people in Romania, particularly in centers that are supposed to provide specialized quality services with trained professionals.
Social care services for the elderly play a crucial role in promoting well-being and proper care for this highly vulnerable segment of the population. While population aging is a growing concern across Europe, in Romania, the well-being of the elderly is not a priority on the public agenda, and their rights are little promoted or known. This often leads to neglect or violations, as highlighted by recent media reports.
It is essential to understand and recognize every elderly person’s right to a dignified life and access to decent social services. This requires allocating sufficient financial resources and implementing public policies that ensure high-quality, accessible services. Social care services for older adults should at least meet basic needs—medical assistance, home care, support services, and counseling—and, in the long term, address access to recreational and social integration programs, education, health awareness, and healthy lifestyles. Services should be personalized to individual needs and delivered by well-trained staff in safe and clean care facilities.
Furthermore, the lack of home care services as an alternative to nursing homes—a relatively new approach aimed at avoiding institutionalization of dependent individuals and maintaining them in a familiar environment—inevitably leads to abuse in centers where the elderly are treated merely as a source of income. Incoherent legislation and bureaucratic structures in Romania have created an unstable and unsafe institutional environment, visibly affecting the implementation and development of home care services. Challenges include the absence of unified strategies among service providers, difficulties in maintaining program continuity, limited access to external funding, and the unsustainable nature of activities at the local level.
Promovarea corespunzătoare prin campanii de awareness la nivel național este o componentă cheie, astfel încât familiile care se află în căutarea unor astfel de servicii și/ sau centre specializate să poată lua o decizie în cunoștință de cauză. Milităm pentru finanțarea coerentă și sustenabilă a serviciilor de asistență socială pentru persoanele în vârstă din România, pentru sprijin instituțional adecvat pe termen lung, deoarece nevoile de asistență socială în acest domeniu nu sunt nici pe
departe acoperite. Aceste servicii sunt esențiale pentru a asigura bunăstarea și calitatea vieții persoanelor în vârstă și pentru a construi o societate în care fiecare individ, indiferent de vârstă, să se simtă valorizat și îngrijit.
SenioriNET supports the guarantee and respect of elderly people’s rights in Romania through the White Charter of Elderly Rights, which aims to raise public, governmental, and elderly awareness of the urgent need to change the paradigm of aging. Older adults are not a burden on society—they are a resource! Through the White Charter, we draw attention to the right to a dignified, autonomous, active, and meaningful old age.
If you believe that your parents and grandparents deserve this, sign the White Charter here: https://seniorinet.ro/semneaza-pentru-carta-alba/.
The Active Citizens Fund Romania program is funded by the EEA Grants 2014–2021. Its general objective is to reduce economic and social disparities and strengthen bilateral relations between the 15 beneficiary states and donor countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway). The program is managed by a consortium composed of the Civil Society Development Foundation, the Partnership Foundation, the Resource Center for Roma Communities, the PACT Foundation, and Frivillighet Norge, acting as the Fund Operator designated by the FMO – Financial Mechanism Office of the EEA and Norway Grants. Active Citizens Fund Romania aims to strengthen civil society and active citizenship, enhancing the capacity of vulnerable groups. With a total allocation of €46,000,000, the program seeks to develop long-term sustainability and capacity of the civil society sector, promoting democratic participation, active citizenship, and human rights, while also reinforcing bilateral relations with the donor countries.
For more information about Active Citizens Fund Romania, visit www.activecitizensfund.ro. For more information about the EEA and Norway Grants, visit www.eeagrants.ro.
For additional project details: Communication Coordinator – Raluca Bedereag, Four Change Association Email: comunicare@4change.ro | Phone: 0768268017
