Temporary placement centers for elderly persons will have common regulations

The Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family drafted common regulations governing the temporary placement centers for elderly persons. The document is now being discussed at public consultations, Info-Prim Neo reports. Djulieta Popescu, head of the Social Assistance Policy Division, said the regulations are aimed at diversifying the methods of financing these centers. Currently, they are partially financed from the state budget, partially from the contribution of the local authorities, and partially from the contribution of the beneficiaries (75% of the pension). By this normative framework, the placement services for payment will be also developed. “We adopted another approach and will try to develop services of a high quality. This normative framework stipulates the general norms, together with the standard package of minimum quality services for the given services,” said Djulieta Popescu. Claudia Botnaru, project coordinator at the Straseni temporary placement center “Spectru”, said the elderly people who come here are abandoned by their relatives and society. Their number is much higher compared with the institution’s capacity. “The pensions are very low and the services are expensive, especially in winter. Thus, the solitary elderly persons choose to come here. We are looking for funds to extend the center and accommodate more persons,” she stated. Ecaterina Platon, director of the temporary placement center in Susleni, Orhei, said that there are 45 elderly persons at the center at present. Half of them are confined to bed. The center was opened with the support of a German organization and the maintenance costs are covered from the local budget. Ecaterina Platon considers that the centers should provide occupations for those who live there. She suggested building a hothouse and hopes that the new regulations will enable them to get more financial resources. In Moldova there are 23 temporary placement centers opened by the local authorities. Over 1,100 elderly persons benefit from their services.