News

Statement by Mr. Tomas Milevičius of the Ministry of Social Security and Labor of the Republic of Lithuania at the Side Event organised by the European Union Delegation to the United Nations "Ageing: Mobilising the potential of older persons"

Mr. Chairman,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honor for me to speak on behalf of Lithuania, holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of European Union has started on the 1^st July 2013 and ageing issues are on the policy agenda right now. The Lithuanian Presidency is paying attention to the mental health and age. The issue of ageing was among the topics of the Informal Meeting of the EU Health Ministers in Vilnius. When discussing mental well-being of older people, delegates recognized the medical, social and economic importance of healthy aging. Delegates agreed that the focus needs to be shifted to finding measures for better integration into societies and labor market of people with mental health problems. Delegates pointed out, that a simple reduction of stress in working environment would improve the situation. Discussions on the topic will be continued also at a high level Mental Health Conference which will take place in Vilnius in October 2013.  

Another important issue for the wellbeing and productivity of ageing workforce is tackling widespread rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders (RMDs). Endorsed by the Lithuanian Presidency a special conference focusing on the impact of RMD’s will take place in Brussels on 16^th October this year.

I would like to share with you some examples of measures implemented in Lithuania, which contribute to the improvement of the situation of elderly people.

We acknowledge that our institutional social care is not responding much to the needs of society for the variety of reasons. First of all is to mention ageing society and the need to strengthen social integration. Deinstitutionalization, better adjustment of forms of assistance to the individual needs and the level of independence of the person are today one of the most important issues of social policy in Lithuania. In order to achieve positive developments more personalized social services are developed in the community. One of these services is the integrated help at home. Integrated Help at Home Development Program was approved in 2012. Approximately one third of municipalities in Lithuania have started to implement pilot projects. The main aim of the Program is to ensure better accessibility and larger variety of services of integrated help at home for elderly, disabled adults, children, family members. The program envisages building and equipment of teams consisting of social worker, assistant of social worker, nurse if needed physiotherapist and rehabilitation counselor. Those teams are visiting the elderly at home and providing complex services, assisting and consulting family members. The aim of the pilot projects is to find the best operational forms and to apply the best practice in the whole country at the later stage.

Another form of assistance for elderly or disabled people is functioning of homes of independent living. There are 23 such homes in Lithuania. People living together independently in those homes are assisted by social workers and their assistants by arranging everyday life. The assistance depending on the situation of people living in the home includes a variety of options: assistance in arranging finances, organizing medical services, assisting in occupational activities.  

We have noticed that the demand for the mentioned institutions and the number of recipients of services is growing every year as a consequence of ageing society and development of social services.

Speaking about the importance of empowerment and activation of older people as a response to ageing societies and examples of multi-stakeholder collaboration I would like to emphasize first of all the participation of Lithuania in the follow-up process to the Regional Implementation Strategy of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. This process provides our country a valuable source of up to date experience and knowledge.    

As a successful example of the multi-stakeholder cooperation I would like to share with you some experiences of the European Year of Active ageing and Solidarity between generations in 2012. During this European Year National programs were implemented and common initiatives in EU Member States were coordinated and supported by the European Commission.

The initiatives of the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012 in Lithuania contributed significantly to mobilize NGO‘s and another stakeholders for the positive developments in introducing new policy tools.

We used the political momentum created by the European Year 2012 to launch “An  Analysis of the Environment which Impacts Participation of the Elderly People in the Labor Market and Delivery of Various Kinds of Services  to the Elderly People”. The analysis was prepared by a special working group consisting of stakeholders: representatives of senior citizens associations, scientists, journalists, representatives of respective ministries. It was coordinated by the  Ministry of Social Security and Labor of Lithuania.  

The document presented the situation of older people in the fields of income, employment, health, social services, education, culture and social participation. Each chapter contained conclusions about future activities in each respective field. The Analysis provided a starting point for preparing the National Strategy of Overcoming the Consequences of Ageing, which will indicate concrete measures and actions.

During the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012 the Council of the European Union adopted the Guiding Principles for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, which have been currently used in Lithuania by drafting the Employment Strategy for 2014-2020. A special chapter in this strategy is devoted for the employment of elderly workers. The envisaged policy trends include increase in attractiveness of participation of the older workers in the labor market, combating the discrimination on the grounds of age, better opportunities for life long learning, encouragement of companies to use the experience of older workers in form of mentoring.

It must be said that the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012 was an enriching experience to all EU countries which participated in its realization. It gave for the Member States the opportunity to organize a variety of events, which often were innovative in their form and content. It gave us many valuable insights into various aspects of ageing, strengthen ties among the groups of stakeholders, increased the understanding of ageing issues and related challenges in the European societies. During that European Year important policy documents were issued and surveys were carried out. Therefore the European Year 2012 has its lasting value for policy implementation.   

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Looking at the experience of the European Year 2012 we can see the proof for the efficiency of this initiative. That European Year  unified a number of countries who share the same values, gave the opportunities for the participating countries for various kinds of cooperation among themselves and with various groups of stakeholders.

Having said that and using this opportunity we can say that the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012 was successful. The whole project can be seen as a good practice example and can serve as a basis and model for the development and implementation of new multidimensional international activities which serve for the empowerment and activation of older people and the whole societies as a response to ageing.