Support for elderly people 60+

Through the essential support intervention programme for elderly people 60+, Médecins du Monde provides medical and psychosocial support to socially and economically vulnerable older people who, due to restrictive measures to protect public health, have become even more isolated.

The action consists of four main axes:

• Health promotion and prevention through preventive screening and awareness-raising/education activities
• Specialised Counselling and Targeted Psychosocial Support
• Empowerment and support for frontline staff
• The operation of a specific digital literacy programme and online community for people aged 60+

AIMS OF THE PROJECT

• Promoting self-care and health prevention in older people aged 60+
• Continuing care through the provision of medical counselling services, especially for people with chronic conditions
• Provision of psychosocial support and counselling services
• Ensuring drug treatment for the most vulnerable people
• Personal empowerment and socialisation through the online community
• Material assistance and provision of personal hygiene items
• Digital literacy for participants
• Improving housing conditions to an adequate level for the most vulnerable

Health and psychosocial support professionals are available daily from 09:00 to 17:00 for remote counselling and support through new telecommunication media.

The MdM team consists of a social worker, a doctor, psychologist and nurse who go door to door to provide free medication to elderly people by filling electronic prescriptions in collaboration with and following appropriate referrals from municipal social services. At the same time, health promotion and prevention activities are carried out on a weekly basis in collaboration with KAPI, KIFI and senior citizens’ clubs. In addition, through the implementation of the Online Companionship programme, a group of elderly people meets weekly with the programme’s psychologist and geriatrician, where they attend presentations and participate in discussions on issues related to the elderly.

ONLINE COMMUNITY

As part of the innovations required by the unprecedented situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, Médecins du Monde created the online application “Online Companionship“, through which participants can connect to “virtual” discussion groups, under the guidance of the Médecins du Monde team. The application was created with the main feature of being user-friendly and easy to understand by older people with little to no knowledge of electronic devices. Through the Online Companionship, Médecins du Monde also provides in a simple way the possibility of counselling, through direct connection and video chat and group video call. In this context and for the needs of the project, a tablet-type device is given to each beneficiary person, so that they can connect and communicate with the other members of the team, as well as with the specialized staff of Médecins du Monde.

The content of the thematic meetings, apart from the psycho-emotional aspect, also concerns the awareness of the participants on social issues, such as environmental protection, energy saving, gender equality and new technologies. Already from the first group conversation, it became clear that these people needed to communicate with each other, to comment on current affairs, to exchange thoughts and feelings brought about by the difficult period of compulsory confinement, and to seek advice from the staff of Médecins du Monde. In addition to the group video chat and interaction, each elderly person can have individual counselling sessions with the doctor and psychologist. The application, among other things, provides the possibility of listening to audio books.

MdM-Greece was awarded the European Health Leadership Award 2024 for the innovative project “Active and Healthy Ageing 60+”

With the central message “Creating a better future for health in Europe”, this year’s European Health Forum Gastein conference took place in Austria, where MdM-Greece was selected as the 2024 winner of the European Health Leadership Award (EHLA) for its project “Active and Healthy Ageing 60+”.

The European Health Forum Gastein, which is organised annually with the support of the Government of Austria in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe, has established the European Health Leadership Award to highlight and support the achievements of individuals or organisations leading the way in safeguarding and improving public health in the WHO European Region, as an important incentive to set an example and maximise the impact of their initiatives.