More than 7,000 lonely older people receive social care from Ukrainian Red Cross
More than 7,000 lonely older people receive social care from the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS).
"Currently, the Ukrainian Red Cross is assisting 7,398 beneficiaries in areas controlled by Ukraine. In August 2024 alone, our social helpers made 94,400 visits and provided 723,277 services to older people," URCS quoted Zoia Pohorila, Head of the Home-Based Care Unit, as saying on Facebook.
Approximately 1,300 social helpers across Ukraine have become not only a reliable source of support for those facing everyday challenges but also true friends and sources of comfort during the war.
Social helpers clean homes and change bed linen, prepare meals, assist with personal hygiene, purchase and deliver essential goods (including food, medicines, and household supplies), and help with social issues such as accompanying individuals to medical appointments, paying utility bills, and restoring family links.
“An equally important aspect of this assistance is providing regular social interaction, which is often lacking for lonely older people,” URCS noted.
Today, on 1 October, the world celebrates the International Day of Older Persons, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly.