More than 13,000 phone interactions with almost 2,500 elderly people were recorded at the Elderly Line in 2022, the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation informed on Monday, in a press release sent to AGERPRES.
During the 13,001 telephone interactions, 2,485 interactions were the beneficiaries of information, advice, guidance, material or emotional support. Of the total number of callers, 50 percent come from rural areas and small towns, 32 percent are aged between 70 and 80 years, and 59 percent said that they live alone.
A number of 1,047 seniors requested information and contacts for particular situations, provided by the specialised team of social workers of the telephone line, which operates with a database containing over 450 state or private institutions with specific services for seniors.
For 695 of the callers, the Elderly Line provided information about functional services, homes for the elderly, institutionalization procedures, resources available in the community, as well as recommendations regarding institutions that offer specialised home health care services.
As many as 546 requests for material or financial aid were registered at the Elderly Line, the seniors being referred to social assistance services in the community, operated by the General Directorates of Social Assistance or NGOs. The foundation solved some of the cases, supporting seniors who face precarious living conditions through social vouchers, hygiene and sanitary materials and necessities.
According to the release, 130 of the seniors who called the Elderly Line for the first time in 2022 were looking for emotional support, facing loneliness, current social or personal challenges. The callers were referred to NGOs with specialised services in their community. A number of 275 seniors benefited from psychological counseling and emotional support through weekly calls from social workers, volunteers and psychologists from the foundation's team.
For 100 people who expressed the need to be active, the Elderly Line provided information about volunteering activities in the community, such as the Generation Centers, and encouraged enrollment in activities organised in senior clubs.
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