National Network, Civil Associationaccording Tothe Lawno. 83/1990 Zb

,, HELPTHEAGEDFORUM ”

national network, civil associationaccording tothe lawno. “83/1990 Zb.“

Kukučínová 5, 971 01 Prievidza, Slovak Republic

Comp. Reg. No. (IČO) : 36117102

E-mail:

tel. +421465420349

An n ua l

R e p o r t

2008

Organisation motto:

“The burden of age is carried more easily by those who feel the love and graceof the youth“

(John PaulII)

Prologue,Mrs. Gálisová

The autumn of a human’s live is an important time that should be its climax and not only acertain statement of their acts, but also apeaceful and joyful completion of afertile and difficult age which gives its fruit and there should come the time of peaceful enjoyment of own successes, fruits of own work, happines with their family and close people and acertain return for the effortsthey’ve made throughout their lives.

If we take awhile to think about it, the autumn of life often differs from the process in the nature. It is but affected by us – people, in away we act with our fellow elder citizens, fellow people but also with ourselves. Thereafter is their autumn of life full of colors or gray and sad...

You will certainly admit that alot of things change throughout ayear. Many thing go better, some things may go worse.

If we wanted to evaluate the year past, we could tell that we had made greatprogress and moved forward.

We’ve been meeting alot of people in individual regions more often, widened and forged good relations and contacts and we’ve made alot of positive things primarily in involving the elders in our work. It is very important for us to search for ways out in the favor of improving elder people lives and also look for methods and means for realisation of suggestions in praxis. We now have agreater overview of needs and problems of the elderly in Slovakia, we’ve succeeded in dealing with certain ones and I’m sure that many people were grateful for our help in coping with their specific problems as well.

Present-day status of seniors in Slovakia is critical comparing to other EU nations because their income is one of the lowest and discrimination within the frame of EU is at the highest level. Forum realised several activities which part of was analyzing current conditions in Slovakia. We carried out asurvey on poverty asocial exclusion of the elderly that indicates that elder people do not have equal access to services, information, education or entering an employment. There is an infrigement of their laws and exclusion from society.

It is very important to define individual problems of citizens and engage them in discussion and making conclusions. We’ve created active groups of seniors in individual regions. We involved in work representatives of various organisations, subjects providng services and help for the elderly, non-profit associations, self-government as well as representatives of different clubs and organisations of seniors.

The most important group are the seniors themselves, because they know their own problems and needs the best. It is important they define themselves what needs to be done to improve live and status of the elderly in Slovakia. Our goal is to engage more the people concerned and to engage them in systematic work within the frame of recently created method of cooperation – Parliament of Seniors. Working in this parliament will have apositive effect on work directly in regions and towns.

Help The Aged Forum makes effort to protect the rights, improve the status and quality of life of elder people. Also for the reasonwe act together and in cooperation with many partners and submit specific suggestions and important ideas from various regions as well.

Despite the fact that they are the biggest vulnerable group, there are many facts and experiences that prove that exactly these citizens do not have equal opportunities, often feel excluded by society, family and community.

An older person is often lonely, has insufficient information, access to various services (e.g. loans). Many of them have low knowledge of laws and can’t defend their rights, are often abused and oppressed. Many have insufficient funds for social events or services needed.

At work we often see the case that elder people feel to be on the fringe of society interest, which is in fact a pretty common phenomenon and many can’t provide for themselves even the basic life necessaries. In many towns, especially in the south and east Slovakia, are elder citizens threatened by poverty and social exclusion.

To provide services, retirement pay, organizing various programsand elaborating reports is not enough, it is necessary to ensure actual dignified and quality life.

I’m afraid we can not talk about having our elder citizens meet the standards of life quality of EU citizens, which of our republic is amember. The issue of aging and elder age is aserious problem requesting complex solution and cooperation of all the people concerned.

An elder citizen needs high-quality level attention, services and care. We feel bad that in some institutions orpublic we do not realise the importance of dealing with the issues of elder citizens, despite that we know that population is getting old and that increases the problems.

Our organisation considers creating conditions for quality life of elder generationa very important part of our work, we are dedicated to improve the status of elder people in our society.

According to our information from carried out european surveys, Slovakia is situated in the unflattering last positions. We must change that together also by pointing out the shortcomings and rights infrigement.

It is very important that elder citizen lives quality life, is satisfied and able to cope with his or her own problems. Only asatisfied and secured member of our family with ability to claim their rights has an effect on comfort and quality of our lives and therefore benefits not only our family, but also thesociety.

All the activities of our organisation went towards this goal. The good thing is that we made aprogress this year, widened membership and also our organisation work was appreciated by foreign partners. By our suggestions and examples we contributed for promoting our country at many international happenings and our suggestions were implemented in international documents.

Despite the achievements, there is alot of work ahead of us for the reason that an elder Slovak citizen does not feel to be arespected and confident EU citizen also for reasons like very low income, lack of services, law infrigement and primarily for insufficient cooperation between the generations and low awareness of contribution and positives that elder person even in greater age can bring for society and for us all.

Ľubica Gálisová

The president

Help The Aged Forum – National Network was officially registered in March 2000. Forum is acivil associationconjugating persons and legal entities. It is anational network and conjugates partner organisations from all around Slovakia. Provides care and help, services and activities for and with elder people with the intent of defending rights, claiming interests and helping satisfying needs of elder people. Improving elder generation life quality, lessening their suffering and loneliness, especially the socially handicapped and unhealthy citizens and integration into social and public life is our mission.

Forum organizes both national and international conferenceson subjects dealing directly with elder people lives, its negatives and positives. Realizes workshops and meetings in individual regions.

Together with partner organisation we search for solutions of various unsolvable situations andpossibilities to implement them in the laws of SR. To achieve its goal, Forum cooperates with state, self-governing and representative organisations in Slovakia and abroad.

Forum engages elder people to create active groups of seniors, so the elderly themselves define their needs and requests. Our aim is to activate them in claiming their rights.

FORUM COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Ľubica Gálisová – Help The Aged Forum Prievidza– The president

Ing. František Csapoó – Civil association Margaréta, Bajč

Anna Kasanová –Nitra Asylum

Hana Grolmusová – Help The Aged Forum Prievidza

Jarmila Viktoryová – Help The Aged Forum Prievidza

Anna Magulová – Pensioners Club Handlová

Pavol Remiáš –Civil assoc. Benedikt Prievidza

FORUM HONORARYCOUNCIL

MUDr., Anna Záborská, poslankyňa EP

Zuzana Krčmárova, New Jersey USA

Ken Philips, NGO Futures – New York

Ing. Ján Bodnár, primátor mesta Prievidza

Zita Pleštinská , poslankyňa EP

MUDr. Miroslav Mikolášik, poslanec EP

ORGANISATION EMPLOYEES

Hana Grolmusová

Jarmila Viktoryová

Michal Tatranský

Michaela Földesiová

Alena Flimelová

Function andactivitiesof Forum

• improving living conditions of the elderly, claiming their rights, lessening their suffering and loneliness, especially socially and physically handicapped elder citizens
• supporting their integration into social and public life
• providing, expanding and improving services
• cooperation with non-governmental organisations and subjects providing seniors services and help
• organising conferences, workshops and surveys on the issue of aging and seniority
• cooperation with foreign partners – work in EC and AGE expert groups – european platform of seniors in Brussel and ECEN network of organisations of eastern and central Europe, London
• organising courses for elder people – defense of rights and legal knowledge for elder citizens

Help The Aged Forum – National Network

Has more than 210 members – national and regional partner organisations, experts collaborating on improving life quality of elders in Slovakia, monitoring of elderly people rights abidance.

Members of Forum have the possibility to participate in Forum work and take part in joint activities, though still respect each organisation subjectivity and independence in their activities in the favor of elder citizens, with which Forum does not interfere.

Expert groups activity

Expert groups of partner organisations representatives operating in Slovak regions and members of active groups of seniors.

These expert groups elaborate suggestions of individual organisations and are dedicated to the issue of care providing and current problems of elder people.

There are these groups active

• legislative
• social
• health-care
• media and web
• education
• collaboration with self-government

Active groups function

They consist of representatives of elders from regions of Slovakia.We engage elders in activity in regions as well as on national level with the intent of defining their own problems and needs and also in collaboration in securing quality services and improving the status and quality of life. Citizens themselves participate within the frame of Forum activities in making suggestions on how to improve the legislative, law, regulations and human rights abidancein praxis.

Active groups of seniors

• We’ve created active groups in regions of Slovakia, which we cooperate with in documents preparations and suggestions for ministries and parliament. There have been created 10 active groups of seniors.

We cooperate with offices in:Trenčín, Dubnica nad Váhom, Nové Zámky – Bajč, Nitra, Slovenské Nové Mesto, Handlová, Trnava, Trebišov, Stará Ľubovňa, Žilina and Bratislava

Parliament of Seniors

Is anew effective mechanism of engaging the elderly in defining their own needs based onactual experience, commenting on national plans execution, enforcment of laws and claiming rights of the elderly in praxis.

• On November 2006 abasic group was created – 40 seniorsfrom different regions of Slovakiato createthe Parliament of Seniors. The aim of the parliament is to monitor and prepare suggestions for important documents of government and parliament. Parliament of Seniors will work according to our Irish partners experiences. An advantage of this activity is that elder citizens will have an opportunity to participate in public and social life more actively and they can affect their status as well.

Parliament of Seniors goals and aims:

To involve the largest possible number of seniors in defending and claiming their own rights. To engage seniors in activities improving their lives. To strengthen interest in the course of events in society.The function of parliament will contribute forstrengthening the legal conscienceof seniors, provide information on rights and how to claim them.It will also point out an infrigement of law by various institutions and discrimination in praxis.

We bring this way aconcept of solution of dealing with the issue of elder people rights defending and creating asystem of monitoring this vulnerable group rightsviolations. At the same time it will help the cooperation of Slovak citizens and make conditions for collaboration with self-government, state administration – government, which may make use of the experiences in the favor of realising their own concepts and programs.

Forum cooperation with other subjects in Slovakia:

Slovak partner organisations are retirements homes, social services homes, pensioners clubs, nursing services agencies, social services experts, various pensioners organisations and other 45 physical persons.

We have created active groups of seniors in individual regions of Slovakia. In our activities we engage experts for this sphere.

-Public defender of rights office - ombudsman

-Police presidium

-We cooperate with Slovak National Centre for Human Rights on various projects – discrimination of elder citizens – we participated in elaboration of seniors discrimination representative survey.

Forum cooperation with foreign subjects:

Cooperation with foreign partners – attendance of international conferences and meetings, Forum and national network activities presentation

-We are amember of AGE (EU platform of seniors in Brussel) since 2004,which groups the most significant organisations from EU member states

-We propone suggestions and concepts directly to European commission (EC) and we communicate with these organisations to perform tasks to improve the status and lives of seniors.

-We take part in EC expert groups – submit results of our work, surveys and meetings of anti-discrimination, health group and the group for services

-We are amember of ECEN – East andCentral Europe Network

-We are amember of HELP the AGED inLondon

-We took part in international conferences on elder people discrimination, at which we presented our work results and current status of elder people in Slovakia

We participated in european activities and international projects with AGE – european platform of seniors, HELP the AGED in London and other EU countries organisations:

Realisation of projects with foreign partners:

„Discrimination andpoverty of seniorsinEurope!“

On December started realisation of project in cooperation with AGE – european platform of seniors and other countries of EU

„ ENCLUGESage“

„Increase the engagement of senior citizens in their rights defending and claiming“

We attended various international conferences and meetings, where Forum was an active participator.

International conferences :

AGE – european platform of seniorsgeneral meeting – Brussel

European and world conference on torment and abuse of the elderly – Brussel

Forum members activity in AGE expert groups:

Expert group – antidiscrimination

Help The Aged Forum is represented in this expert group by Dr. Peter Guráň, the vice-chairman of the group

Two meetings, where the members of individual groups define problems of elder people discrimination and search together for solutions. They submit concepts and suggestions to the EC. Through its representative, our organisation submits important documents and surveys outcomes, which form abase for accepting concepts for improving life quality of elders not only in Slovakia, but also in EU countries. According to Eurostat, occurence of elders discrimination is one of the greatest, which makes a challenge for Forum to deal with this problem within the frame of its activities and cooperation with foreign partners.

Expert group– social exclusion – SIEG

Forum is represented in this expert group byits president Ľubica Gálisová

Two meetings of this group took place –

2nd – 3rd June – Warsaw

1st – 3rd December – SIEG meeting – SUZA Bratislava

EU countries foreign partners attendance – Forum work presentation, creation of Parliament of Seniors, suggestion of Carta of the Elderly, poverty and social exclusion of elderly survey results presentation.

On December, Forum organised this group meeting, where we had an opportunity to present own work and realised activities.We submitted aconcept of 15 rules for the protection of the elderly, which make agood base for acceptance of Carta for the protection of the elderly. At the meeting we proponed an example of a good praxis – engaging the elder people in claiming and defending their own rights – activation and involving the elders in social and public life by creating aParliament of Seniors. There were also representatives of Slovak Government present at the meeting, who presented their concepts of dealing with the issues of elders in Slovakia.

International meetings – cooperation with foreign partners :

AprilSlovenia – Bled –ECENEast and Central European Network meeting –Wien - Austria

12th – 26th Oct.Italy–meetings with voluntary organisations in Rome working with the elderly

29th – 31st Oct.Austria – Graz – project Grundvig

11th – 14th Nov.Slovenia ZDUS – Ljubljana organizedby HELP the AGED

Semináre za účasti zahraničných partnerov :

• 20th February – discussion on preparation and realisation of Parliament of Seniors, preparation of the project and cooperation with foreign partners
• 6th July –elaboration of survey on poverty and social exclusion of elderly

Seminars :

Help The Aged Forum participated in acampaign on joining Slovakia to Eurozone. There were several seminars and workshopsin order to provide important information and EURO awareness of elder people, as well as courses on risks and advantages of the new currency.

15thApr.Bojnice – seminar on EURO

25thSept.Žilina – seminar onEURO

4th Oct.Žilina – Municipal Office– seminar – elder citizens life quality

27th Oct.Dolný Kubín – expert seminar –elder citizens life quality

WorkshopsinregionsofSlovakia

There were altogether 38 workshops in towns of Slovakia

Workshops – year 2008 :

10th JanuarySkalica

Handlová

14th FebruaryZvolen

15th FebruaryPrešov

17th FebruaryStará Ľubovňa

19thFebruaryHandlová

29th MarchRajec

30th MarchVZ Skleróza Multiplex – Bratislava

20th AprilŽilina

Bojnice

24th AprilBanská Bystrica

2nd MayZvolen

16th MayHandlová

18th MayPrievidza

19th MayŽilina – klub Priatelia

20th MayZvolen