Italy
Autonomous Province of Bolzano - "Estate Serena" Programme
This project aims to diversify the services on offer by providing a more extensive range of specialist services at various times of the year in order to take account of new and changing needs. For example, there is a summer action programme that has been extended throughout the year. A multi-functional approach based on co-operation and partnership involves voluntary organisations and associations along with the public agencies, which integrates services that are available in order to promote the personal and social independence of older people. There is a strong reliance on volunteers.
- Older people living alone
- Voluntary/Community/NGO sector
- Coordinated/integrated service
- Volunteers
The "Estate Serena" (Carefree Summer) programme is run by a network of voluntary organizations, and funded by the Province of Bolzano, who provide a programme of action during the summer has been drawn up to prevent elderly people from facing new or worse hardship. The service is run in its entirety by volunteers from seven associations. The 60 or so volunteers working on the initiative in 1997 provided 2000 hours of work and 700 services. In 1997, just over 100 elderly people were using the service, largely women (80% of users) aged between 70 and 80.
An analysis of the circumstances of elderly people in the Province of Bolzano showed that, despite the fact that the population of the Alto Adige can be considered relatively "young" in comparison with other Italian regions, the percentage of elderly people was constantly growing. The Autonomous Province of Bolzano's social, welfare and health policy for elderly people focuses on maintaining elderly people's independence within their normal family environment and preserving their normal social relations. The conviction that elderly people are a social resource since they represent values and culture underpins this policy.
The service was set up following an analysis of the circumstances of older people in the Province which showed that older people had diverse needs, resulting in new demands for services. It is aimed chiefly at elderly people and their needs during the summer, on the assumption that it is during this period, despite the area's social, welfare and health services, that those most in need of assistance are likely to be lonelier and more exposed to risk. It is available for all elderly residents of the Province of Bolzano who are alone or require help during the summer. It provides a network of multi-functional services for the elderly, integrating services already available in the area and ensuring continuity of services through resource planning, in order to promote their personal and social independence and prevent new forms of hardship developing.
Agreements between public agencies (District Communities, health trusts) and voluntary associations, in which action strategies are set out, link the various welfare, social and health and information measures. In general, measures include information, guidance and help with access to and use of services, psycho-social assistance and support, meals at home or in canteens, supply of goods of various types for those unable to buy them personally, alarm call systems, continuity of assistance if it is already being provided, home delivery of medicines, home visits by family doctors, rapid repair service for small domestic repairs, small household moves, and creation of equipped leisure facilities, providing transport where needed.
The initiative's multi-functional nature has provided good results over the last three years. This has led the Province and its partners to turn this summer experiment into an initiative that operates throughout the year. A number of voluntary associations from various backgrounds supply the volunteers working for the "Estate Serena" project. Cooperation and partnership seem to be more important than competition between these associations. Users are indirectly involved in the "Estate Serena" initiative as the voluntary associations include a number of associations of the elderly.
The strength of this experiment, which has now been run for a number of years, lies in the coordination of various local resources in order to provide answers in keeping with the needs of the elderly population. Relations with users need, however, to be structured more systematically and more opportunities need to be provided for those involved to meet. Bolzano's social services trust has drawn up an "Elderly Emergency" project, financed by the European Social Fund, which should place the initiative on a permanent footing by setting up a helpline and immediate response service for all elderly people who need it. The experiment can be readily transferred to other locations, both because of the type of needs that it addresses and the way in which services are provided. The specific tasks of the District Communities could be taken on by local authorities in other geographical situations.