Unfortunately Portugal has been classified by World Health Organization as being a bottom-down European Country in regard to the treatment of elderly people, which is very alarming as we are an aged country (we are the fourth in Europe)
At the moment our senior policies are more focused on combating isolation, stigmatization and to dependencies be it economical, physical or mental.
Having this in mind a National Plan of Action for Inclusion (Plano Nacional de Acção para a Inclusão) was created as an instrument for combating poverty and exclusion, not only for the elderly but also for those in need of help in the two matters previously discussed.
In 2006-2008 another PNAI was elaborated whose framework is very clear about the promotion of social cohesion, being that the seniors and children are a top priority, as they are the two groups more at risk for poverty in Portugal.
On the scope of PNAI the following programs effectively accomplished actions directed preferentially for seniors:
• Programa de Alargamento da Rede de Equipamentos Sociais (PARES);
PARES focuses on concrete social answers, namely in the creation of new places:
Such as the reinforcement of the Services of Home Support and Day Centers, promoting the conditions of autonomy of elderly people.
Increasing of numbers for places of Senior Homes associated to situations of major dependency.
• Programa Conforto Habitacional para Pessoas Idosas ( PCHI)
This program has as an objective the prevention of the reliance and institutionalization of the senior citizens, by intervening on the quality of the houses through improving the basic conditions of habitability and mobility of those elderly people.
• Complemento Solidário para Idosos (CSI);
This program is a cash support payed monthly for the seniors of low income, with the ages above or the same as the normal age of access to old-age pension of the Social Security general regime, meaning that you have to be 66 years and 5 months old and reside in Portugal.
• Rede de Cuidados Continuados Integrados;
Created in 2006 in partnership with the Solidarity and Work Ministry and Social Security of Health, this program has as goals to present health cares and social support in a continuing e integrating way for those who are in situations of being dependent on, such as those with acute illness and chronic diseases.
These Continued Care is centered on the global recovery of the person promoting their autonomy and improving their functionality.
In short, between 2005 and 2008 many measures where implemented, having in consideration the levels of poverty as also the precarious social and economic conditions that the Portuguese seniors face.
There are also several policies, ideas and movements that aim to help seniors return to a more active life some of them are just simply to give more access to information and education to our elderly for example with Senior Universities (there are at the moment 250 institutions aimed at this in Portugal), promoting sociocultural activities and incentivizing to practice more physical exercise too.
Some examples (These are current projects for Senior Policies that I find Interesting)
Lata65: Urban art for the Elderly
Lata65 is a project that appeared in 2012 in Lisbon and organizes workshops of urban art and graffiti for seniors.
This project’s main objective is to approach the seniors to a way of artistic expression which is associated to the younger generation: urban art
The “workshops of Urban Art for seniors” is developed in two lessons: the first one is theoretical and revolves around the history of urban art, the historical framework of graffiti and its technics such as tag and stencil; the second is the practice and turns to the construction of stencils that will later be painted by the participants, together with tags and various graffiti on a reserved wall.
This Project was created by Laura Rodrigues and proves that aging, solidarity between generations and access to urban art for the elderly are completely compatible.
+55
The project was born to prevent loneliness and inactivity for those above the age of 55, proposing a more active lifestyle by provision of services of quality and trust on their neighborhoods.
55+ offers gymnastics, adapted step, strength training, posture and stretching, chi kung, seniors yoga, hidrogymnastics and many other types of leisure activities.
Envelhecimento + Ativo
55+ offers gymnastics, adapted step, strength training, posture and stretching, chi kung, seniors yoga, hidrogymnastics and many other types of leisure activities.
Envelhecimento + Ativo
This project is aimed for implementing more activities for seniors with lower mobility. It is a project that brings together youth and seniors and horticulture. They have specially made flower beds at a higher level so seniors do not have to move so much while still enjoying this activity together with the youth ( and maybe even teaching them a bit more about horticulture), there are also physical therapy rooms and a Snoezelen room.