In the context of the pandemic, new needs have emerged in the lives of elderly people, while everyday hardships have intensified, and social distancing and quarantine periods have deepened seniors’ isolation and brought new challenges to their lives. Starting in April 2021, a total of 120 elderly beneficiaries of the White–Yellow Cross Foundation of Romania – Constanța branch, and of the Helping Hands Association in Tulcea, will be supported by the Princess Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation in coping with the pandemic, through The Fund for the Elderly.
The grant provided through The Fund for the Elderly aims to improve the quality of life of elderly people in the two communities and to increase the capacity of the two local organizations to provide material, practical, and emotional support to the most vulnerable group of people in the context of the pandemic. The funds will be used to offer tailored support to seniors in Constanța and Tulcea until the end of 2021. Beneficiaries are people facing various risk situations – they live alone, receive no support from family, have poor health, are bedridden or have mobility difficulties, and lack the financial resources needed for a decent standard of living.
Through The Fund for the Elderly, home-care social services will be provided, along with practical support at home, social assistance, medical services, socialization activities, monitoring visits, as well as material aid consisting of personal hygiene products, sanitary items, and basic food supplies. All these actions will help reduce the risk of isolation and neglect of vulnerable elderly people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, increase the level of personal protection, and inform beneficiaries in order to reduce the risk of infection with the new virus. Providing these social services will contribute to reducing the number of elderly people placed in institutional care at community level, while also easing the financial pressure on families and the community.
The funding granted to the White–Yellow Cross Foundation of Romania – Constanța branch, and the Helping Hands Association in Tulcea is supported through contributions from Metropolitan Life and Plas Anticorosion SRL.
About The Fund for the Elderly
The Fund for the Elderly was launched in March 2020, in the context of the state of emergency and the enforcement of social isolation as a preventive measure against COVID-19. Approximately 1 million elderly people were expected to go through the pandemic living alone. In this context, the Princess Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation activated a network of social and support services, expanding its own projects and supporting NGOs and civic initiatives dedicated to seniors in need. To date, the Fund for the Elderly has addressed the needs of over 9,000 vulnerable and isolated seniors from various parts of the country, contributing to managing the crisis caused by the pandemic.
