The Parliament is currently discussing a range of initiatives concerning elderly citizens, with the Government presenting the Statute of the Elderly. According to the Secretary of State, this document had already been presented and debated in the Assembly of the Republic but was rendered ineffective following the Government’s collapse.
Clara Marques Mendes argued that the “appreciation of the elderly must be a national aim” and emphasized that it is the responsibility of everyone—family, community, and State—to ensure the rights and dignity of older individuals.
“We are also preparing a strategy for longevity, which will have as a strategic axis the plan for active and healthy aging, although it will address all life cycles of each person,” announced the Secretary of State.
She asserted that the Statute of the Elderly includes several principles, primarily the “priority for the elderly to remain in their homes,” highlighting that to support this guarantee, the Government has approved the SAD+Health response, a new model of home support service.
“This SAD+Health involves the coordinated provision of a set of individualized and personalized social support services, complemented, whenever necessary, by healthcare. This service will operate seven days a week and 24 hours a day,” Clara Marques Mendes explained.
This service aims to address the “actual needs of families” and prevent the premature institutionalization of the elderly.
In addition to the Government’s initiative, deputies are debating several other proposals from parliamentary groups on the same subject. These include the creation of a charter of rights—proposed by PCP, Livre, and PAN—the criminalization of abandonment, the strengthening of rights for elderly crime victims, and the establishment of a National Day of Respect for the Elderly.
The various initiatives will be voted on at the end of the plenary discussion.
