Number: 542-30/2011
Date: 14 February 2012
Subject: PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES AND PRIORITY TASKS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA FOR THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF ACTIVE AGEING AND INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY IN 2012 (DRAFT)
1) FOREWORD
At the end of 2011, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia assigned the key role in marking the European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity in 2012 to the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. As the Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, I particularly look forward to this important and responsible task which, among other reasons, is the result of the fact that the Ministry prepared a document in 1997 to deal in a organised manner with the challenges of population ageing and demographic change in the area of social welfare (Strategy of care for the elderly 1997-2005).
I am glad that the European Parliament adopted the decision to declare 2012 the European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity. For all key bodies in Slovenia, i.e. political representatives, the Government, experts, social partners, local environment and non-governmental organisations and civil society, this is an important commitment and encouragement in response to demographic change. The purpose of European Year 2012 as the year of active ageing and intergenerational solidarity is the creation of an age-friendly Europe. I am especially pleased that the title of European Year also includes the intergenerational aspect. In times of great demographic change which transforms relationships between individual generations, and when the ratio of the older generation is increasing, it is also very important to consider the interests and needs of the young and middle generations, because the creation of an age-friendly EU can only be based on a Europe of all generations. The inclusion of the intergenerational aspect in the title of European Year 2012 is a special recognition for Slovenia, because the proposal that European Year 2012 should be dedicated not only to active ageing, but to intergenerational solidarity was one of the conclusions of the international Conference on Intergenerational Solidarity for Cohesive and Sustainable Societies, which was organised by Slovenia in cooperation with the European Commission and non-governmental organisations during Slovenia’s presidency of the EU Council in April 2008.
I am certain that European Year 2012 will be a good opportunity and an encouragement for anyone who is in any way involved in demographic change. This will be a time to introduce new ideas, seek innovative solutions and communicate examples of good practise in Slovenia and abroad. This should be a year of activities leading to our common goal – the creation of an age-friendly Slovenia. When responding to demographic change, we must seek solutions which will benefit the whole of society.
The fulfilment of the activities begun in the field of active ageing and intergenerational solidarity in 2012 is not the most important result. The commitments, which will apply and continue on the national, regional and local levels in the future and throughout the entire lifespan of an individual, are just as important.
MINISTER
Andrej Vizjak, MSc.
2) IMPORTANCE OF THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF ACTIVE AGEING AND INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY FOR SLOVENIA
Increasing life expectancy and lower birth rates are modern phenomena in the developed European countries. Increased life expectancy is an exceptional achievement of modern society, although with fewer young people this results in numerous changes and challenges never seen before. The ratios between various age groups are changing and will continue to do so. The process of the elderly comprising a larger demographic group began decades ago, but the ageing of the population in Europe will peak in fifty years or more, according to current forecasts.
On the basis of certain assumptions, demographic experts can calculate the percentage of individual age groups in the distant future; however, nobody knows how people will actually be living then. Will they be provided for, will they be threatened with starvation, will there be conflicts between the generations? Thus, the consequences of population change are unpredictable, and to a large extent depend on the responses and functioning of many stakeholders in society. The demographic changes will require changes in various fields of social activity: in social protection and healthcare, pension and disability insurance, employment, education, culture, the economy, urban planning, housing policy, security, traffic, etc.
The United Nations, the World Health Organisation, the European Union, the OECD, the governments of individual countries, governmental and non-governmental organisations, the economy, science, etc. are actively responding to current demographic changes. Those who work in the local environment and in civil society are frequently the people who are the most aware of these changes. The role of local communities and non-governmental organisations will become increasingly more important when dealing with demographic change.
The European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity 2012 (hereinafter referred to as European Year 2012) is a small part in the mosaic of continued activities with which the European Union and Member States wish to encourage the realisation of an age-friendly Europe on the basis of a vision of a society of all ages, whereby the stress is on active ageing, as well as on intergenerational solidarity, cooperation and the formation of bonds between the different generations.
Society and political decision makers have to adapt to these changes and accept them as a priority of social reality, and thereby not exclude individual generations. While seeking solutions, we have to ensure that we listen not only to the most numerous or the loudest groups, but that we find suitable solutions in a dialogue with all generations. Only in this way will the solutions be sustainable and successful in the long term.
Active ageing and intergenerational solidarity provide an opportunity to contribute to the creation of an age-friendly European Union by 2020, which is why we wish to emphasise the following:
-encouraging awareness of the significance and understanding of active ageing (exercise, personal growth, creativity, independence, etc.) in all generations on national and local levels;
-encouraging active ageing and employment among those who have not yet reached retirement age, as well as those who have already retired and wish to contribute to the development of society with their knowledge and experience;
-supporting activities which enable active ageing among all generations on the local level with the aid of greater social inclusion, volunteering, appropriate care, etc.;
-promoting healthy ageing and an independent life;
-the effort to create a society of all ages by increasing solidarity between generations, and also acknowledging the values and identity of the elderly and the acknowledgement of contributions to the development of society from all generations.
With regard to marking European Year 2012, special attention will have to be paid to the search for innovative and sustainable solutions in various areas. We are certain that in the future in many areas in which demographic change is of the most concern, merely upgrading existing systems will no longer be sufficient, nor will seeking new solutions on the basis of past experience; completely new solutions will be required which will be sustainable in the long term. These solutions can be obtained if the whole society becomes aware of the extent of the consequences of demographic change and is prepared to maintain its human capital in all generations. We must not forget that the only successful solutions will be those which include the interests and benefits of all generations.
The goal of marking European Year 2012 will not be limited only to raising awareness of the needs and abilities of the elderly and other generations; it also is supposed to result in real action and solutions. European Year 2012 will produce results in various areas and also the commitments of individual stakeholders which will be addressed further in the future.
The purpose of European Year 2012 is broader still. It is supposed to support a vision of society of all ages, where each person will have the opportunity to play an active role according to their age and to enjoy equal rights and opportunities in all the periods of life, regardless of age, sex, race, religion, belief, social and economic status, sexual orientation, physical or mental health, or need for care.
At its 157th regular session on 3 November 2011, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia also resolved that the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs (MLFSA) should assume the key role in marking European Year 2012. The Government authorised the Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs to establish a National and an Operating Committee, to appoint ambassadors of European Year 2012, and a national coordinator for the period.
Older generations comprise the target group of European Year 2012, but due to intergenerational coexistence and the programme goals, all other generations are equally taken into consideration. Special emphasis is placed on people over 65 years of age, retired persons, older employed people, the long-term ill and disabled people, and also young people in education.
The interested public is much broader, and in the context of European Year 2012, includes governmental bodies, expert public, social partners, media, non-governmental organisations, civil society, local communities and general public.
3) THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES AND MEASURES TAKEN SO FAR BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA REGARDING ACTIVE AGEING AND INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY
Within the framework of various sectors, several activities related to demographic change and individual aspects of active ageing and intergenerational solidarity have taken place and are ongoing; some of the most important are mentioned below.
In 1997, the Government of the RS adopted the document ‘Strategy of care for the elderly until 2005’ in which the country in the area of social protection addressed demographic change or the growing share of the elderly population. This programme suspended the practise in which nursing homes were the only providers of care for the elderly who could no longer take care of themselves. Services that enable the elderly to stay longer in their home environment were being promoted. Another purpose of this programme was to encourage the establishment and development of private providers vis-à-vis public services. The development of supplementary social protection programmes, in which non-governmental organisations play an important role, was encouraged.
In 2006, the Government adopted another document on this issue, i.e. the Strategy of care for the elderly till 2010 - Solidarity, living together and quality ageing of the population. This document was a continuation of the first programme, which in addition to the area of social protection, also involved all government sectors connected with demographic change. On the basis of the commitment mentioned in the Strategy, the Council for solidarity between generations and quality ageing of population in Slovenia was established, managing the realisation of the Strategy and the implementation of harmonised and continued policy in this area.
A new discussion paper has been drafted, i.e. the Strategy for quality ageing, solidarity and coexistence of generations in Slovenia.
In 2010, the Government of the RS adopted the Strategy for active ageing, which sets out the action programme with the goal of increasing the employment rate of elderly people between the ages of 55 and 64 to 43.5% by 2013. The document includes measures intended for the unemployed, older employed people, and also to the change in employers' and the general public’s attitude to the elderly.
A new Pension and Disability Insurance Act was passed to deal with pension legislation, although this was later rejected in a referendum. The purpose of the Act was to prevent early retirement by rising the retirement age and increasing the transparency of financing the pension system, with a better linkage between contributions paid and insured persons' rights, and by eliminating rights which arise from social transfers and are not based on contributions.
Labour legislation in the RS determines the right of the elderly to remain in active employment after they have reached full retirement age, with reduced working hours at the same or a different workplace, with the proportionality of rights and adjusted rights to severance pay.
The regulations in the field of health and safety at work determine that employers have to pay special attention to the safety and health of pregnant women, younger and older workers, and workers with a reduced ability to work, and when selecting measures in accordance with special regulations, must consider the particular risks to which workers are exposed at work.
Within the framework of family policy and annual public procurement programmes to support the family, the MLFSA in the 'Family centres' segment requires, among other things, that Programmes for the creative mutual spending of leisure time and intergenerational socialising are also being implemented within the activities which it co-finances. A family centre is a support institution for all family members, regardless of their age, which functions preventively and arranges lectures, discussions, work in small groups, case studies, presentations of literature etc. It is a meeting point for various generations, a place for upgrading and strengthening an individual’s social roles, the exchange of good practises, positive experiences, and the strengthening of solidarity between generations.
As regards disability policy, the Government of the RS adopted the 13th goal of the Action Programme for disabled people for the period 2007-2013, the main purpose of which is to ensure an independent life for older disabled persons and those disabled who are growing older, and to enable them easier access to the physical and built environment, and to information, communication, information and other technologies. The purpose of this goal is also the provision of suitable institutional care and the encouragement of self-care, living in the home environment as long as possible, and the provision of long-term assistance. Appropriately trained expert workers have to be provided, and an aid network for the elderly who have been victims of violence and abuse has to be established.
The proposal of the Act on long-term care and long-term care insurance has been in preparation since 2004. Two variants have already been publicly debated, but none has reached political consensus on the provision of additional funds. The rapid passage of the Act is supported by both users and providers.
The Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Health have been cooperating with the Anton Trstenjak Institute in the areas of geriatrics and gerontology for many years.
For the provision of healthcare activities within the healthcare of gerontology patients, the Ministry of Health unified the education of gerontology in secondary vocational and higher education and prepared a gerontology specialisation for the post-graduate study programme. In 2010, the National Programme for palliative care with an action plan was adopted and the education of palliative care coordinators was implemented.
From the public health aspect, the elderly are treated through the public procurement programme entitled ‘Public procurement for co-financing programmes for health protection and enhancing’. The purpose of the last public procurement was to co-finance programmes for the protection and enhancement of health and the activities of patient societies, with the key goals of preventing chronic diseases and improving the health of citizens of the Republic of Slovenia.
The programmes for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the diminishing of risk factors within the above-mentioned public procurement include several sub-programmes. The following sub-programmes were intended for the elderly indirectly: a) reducing the harmful and risky use of alcohol, b) reducing the use of tobacco, c) programmes for the promotion of a healthy and balanced diet and exercise, d) enhancement of mental health and e) programmes for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and management of risk factors for chronic diseases and conditions (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and injuries).
The elderly target group is being dealt with by the Public Health Directorate within individual sectors, which in the past have already produced various documents (e.g. national strategies), or these documents are still being (re)written. The National Programme for diabetes management has already been adopted; the evaluation of the National Programme on nutrition policy 2006-2010 was also implemented, which indicated that the measures taken have already improved conditions for the development of healthy eating habits. A new National Programme on nutrition policy for the period 2012-2022 is in preparation, which will particularly focus on older adults or elderly persons. The elderly are also included in the Strategy for the encouragement of physical (motive) activities for health enhancement between 2007 and 2012. In 2011, the Resolution on the National Programme for mental health for the period 2011-2016 was adopted, which is exceptionally important for the elderly. The target group of the elderly is also discussed with the application of the criterion of inequality. At the beginning of 2011, the Public Health Directorate issued a National Report on inequality in health, which was presented and well received at the International conference on inequality in health and the determinants of health at Brdo pri Kranju. The Ministry of Health is currently actively involved in the preparation of the World Health Organisation's Strategy 'Health 2020' and the European review of social determinants and health inequalities.