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This blog is written by Natasa Todrovic from the Serbian Red Cross, a member of the global HelpAge network.
When it comes to quality of life, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro rank in the bottom half of countries included in HelpAge International AgeWatch Global Index. This clearly shows that societies in the Western Balkans are not ready to cope with the effects of population aging.
Six organizations from five countries have nevertheless joined together to launch a response to the growing number of elderly people in the Balkans. They formed the Acting for the social inclusion of older people (TASIOP) project.
TASIOP aims to strengthen civil society networks in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia to:
- improving social inclusion of older people in the Western Balkans at local, national and regional levels
- encourage older people to defend their rights and challenge policies that exclude them from society
- share the experience of each country in the development of health systems, social protection, retirement insurance systems and lifelong learning
- adapt and replicate best practices across the region.
Build and expand the network
We started by improving the capacity of existing civil society networks and formed new networks in Macedonia and Montenegro focused on advocacy to improve the quality of life of older people.
From there, we expanded to include new members who focus on women or people with disabilities, as well as older adults. As we grow, we cooperate more and increase our visibility, helped by developing partnerships with government ministries and working alongside independent human rights bodies.
Representatives from each TASIOP country participated in the drafting of national reports on the Madrid International Action Plan on Aging and the regional implementation strategy of the Ministerial Conference on Aging in Lisbon in 2017. For some countries like Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was the first time representatives of the civil sector participated in an event at this level. As a result, national institutions, such as ministries and government councils, have recognized the importance of civil society’s work in creating services and empowering older people, and defending their rights.
We are also increasing the visibility of civil society networks across the region, and having a set of clear new strategic objectives has improved the position of the civil sector in relation to policy makers.
Learn from existing policy
Understanding aging in each country TASIOP provided an opportunity to identify gaps and make recommendations on how to fill them. In Serbia, they saw an opportunity for the civil society network to cooperate closely with independent national bodies, such as the Commissioner for Protection of Equality. This led to an official recommendation to ensure that older people have access to long-term care and palliative care services, which should, by law, be available to all without discrimination.
Find the evidence
TASIOP funded research in each country to collect data and evidence relevant to each civil society network’s strategic objectives and local contexts, as well as to the social inclusion of older people, which is the overarching objective of the project.
Research provides the opportunity to collect new information and inform advocacy strategies, activities and recommendations. For example, in Serbia, research revealed a critical lack of accessible health services for older people, prompting strong recommendations for policy changes to support accessibility of care.
Welcoming field organizations
We welcome grassroots organizations who cannot apply for EU funding to work with TASIOP to improve their skills and knowledge. We pilot small, replicable community projects to increase the social inclusion of older people, empower them and strengthen intergenerational solidarity. Over the last 10 months, 90 applications and 62 projects have been selected.
The Social Science Researchers Network of Serbia, for example, connects retired social scientists with working researchers, as well as university students, to discuss aging. This connects three generations of researchers who can share their expertise and discuss current practices and academic theories. One of the students described the experience as an “evening of learning,” while a retired sociologist wrote a poem about the energizing effects these meetings have on older professionals.
Keep everyone informed
We produce a quarterly newsletter with contributions from industry experts, including UN agencies, HelpAge International and governments. It helps inform policy makers and other stakeholders about project activities and shares recent global developments on ageing, human rights and social inclusion of older people. Professor Wenche Malmedal, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, said: “I find a lot of useful information here that we can also use for our proposal. What a wonderful and wonderful job you are doing! »
Plan for the future
In the months and years to come, we would like to transform the image of aging and older people, and raise awareness about ageism. We want to do this by working with the media to spread positive messages about aging and training older people in civic activism. Watch this place!
Discover learn more about TASIOP And follow Natasa Todrovic on Twitter.
TASIOP is financially supported by the European Union, the Austrian Development Agency and the Austrian Red Cross, with the Serbian Red Cross being responsible for coordination. The project partners are: the Albanian Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology, the Osmijeh Association (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the Macedonian Red Cross and Humanity Association (Macedonia) and the Red Cross of Montenegro. The Slovene Philanthropy Association (Slovenia) is also a partner due to the fact that Slovenia is a member of the EU and has a history of acting in response to demographic aging.
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