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Description
Bulgaria has no guaranteed access of the elderly (aged 65+) to good-quality, diverse and affordable health, social and integrated health and social services for long-term community and home care. Such services are slowly developed, insufficient in both number and scope and they do not meet adequately the growing needs. The project envisages studying the efficiency of the measures from the national long-term care and the local strategies with an emphasis on health and social home and community services and with a view to the elderly having a real access to such services in the municipalities of Rousse, Belene, Pleven, Byala Slatina, Svishtov, Levsky, Rakovsky, Kaloyanovo, Plovdiv, Bourgas, Malko Tarnovo, Kuklen and Sofia. The findings will be published and presented to experts from the public institutions, politicians and civil society organizations and will be a tool to influence local and national policies and attract supporters for joint advocacy actions. The findings will be communicated to the public in an awareness-raising campaign in the social media. In the long-term we will contribute to greater commitment and active involvement of citizens, development of good-quality long-term care meeting the needs and ensuring access of the elderly to it. We will engage through a dialogue all the stakeholders (the elderly, municipal experts, civil society organizations and public institutions, family doctors, social workers, service providers, caregivers) by involving them in consultations, stage discussions, round tables, interviews and presenting their opinion in the campaign held in the social media and in the publications. We will reach them and analyse local policies and services with the help of our local partners who work on the first line, provide direct support to the elderly, have good knowledge of local needs and take part actively in the life of local communities.
Summary of project results
In Bulgaria, there is a lack of guaranteed access for older adults (65+) to quality, diverse, and affordable health, social, and integrated health-social care services for long-term care in the community and at home. The project focused on reviewing and updating key public interventions, strategies, and policies for long-term care for older adults. A large-scale study was conducted in 13 localities, and specific recommendations were derived, which were subsequently discussed with stakeholders. Additionally, a long-term care campaign was conducted.
The main achievements include:
- Uniting the perspectives of representatives from public institutions, experts, and service providers, which contributed to understanding the importance of integrated health and social care for the elderly and identifying needs and possible solutions.
- Improving systemic connections in the surveyed municipalities through forum sharing and the promotion of good practices, laying the foundation for future partnerships and initiatives in the health and social sectors.
- The project played a timely mediating role in discussing support for the development of local service networks and innovative long-term care methods.
- Including elderly people and their relatives in the analytical process enriched the assessment of needs and reinforced the necessity of an inclusive model for planning and implementing long-term care policies.
- The project motivated professionals from the health and social sectors to work together and increased the engagement of students preparing for support professions in these fields.
- The public campaign conducted on social networks generated significant interest and awareness on the issue of long-term care for the elderly.
- Attracting like-minded individuals and partners in the form of nationally represented NGOs added value to the project results and created opportunities for joint actions for change.
The project significantly contributed to building advocacy capacity and developing local solutions and recommendations for changes in public policies through multidisciplinary research and active dialogue with the civic and multisectoral sectors.
The partners involved in the project played a key role in various stages of the central research, attracting interested audiences at the local level and popularizing the main results and conclusions. They activated good models and established practices that municipalities and other public institutions can use to improve and implement activities supporting the elderly, with a focus on home and community care as preferred alternatives to residential services. They provided significant advocacy and mediation support throughout the execution process, facilitating locally applicable solutions and institutional impact tailored to each location''s specifics. The partners also enhanced perceptions of integrated health and social care services in the home environment through targeted media, message amplification, and participation in two-phase project campaigns.
The upcoming efforts involve uniting efforts to actively participate in working groups and meetings with experts from the Ministry of Health and the Agency for Quality of Social Services. The goal is to advocate for the necessity of initiating the development of specific standards for elderly care facilities and to regulate minimum requirements and quality criteria for public and private providers of such care nationwide.
As part of their completed project, "Caritas Bulgaria" has been invited to participate in the Founding Meeting of the Standing Committee on Demographic and Social Policies of the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria (2023-2027 mandate). They will present their perspectives on developing home care for the elderly and summarize local observations based on an analytical report they prepared and circulated.
Connections have been established with representatives of various political parties and centers. The potential inclusion of services for the elderly in a home environment has been considered in the formulation of internal rules for practical training and internship organization by multiple higher education institutions in Plovdiv, Burgas, Sofia, and Ruse.