The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation announces the launch of the campaign "We respond with our heart to the lonely elderly!", in which 4,000 elderly people will benefit from material help, practical support and emotional support through dedicated social projects.
"The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation launches the campaign "We respond with our heart to the lonely elderly!", an initiative which aims to provide immediate support and sustainable solutions to socially vulnerable seniors, who are facing lack of resources, isolation or marginalization, both during the Christmas holidays and throughout the coming year," the foundation informed on Tuesday.
Business leaders are invited to get involved in urgently supporting seniors.
"By contributing 20% of their 2024 corporate income tax by December 31, companies have the chance to turn taxes into a concrete gesture of solidarity. Together we can be their voice, relieving them from loneliness, preventing social isolation, or creating opportunities for an active life," the cited source conveys.
Through the Fund for the Elderly program, the Foundation aims to improve the quality of life and social inclusion of seniors, especially the lonely and socially vulnerable, the fund being financed by donations and sponsorships and thousands of elderly people receiving material aid, practical support and emotional support annually.
In 2024, the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation, through the involvement of corporate and individual donors, supported 4,000 seniors and provided grants to 27 NGOs in Romania which, through local social services, responded to the diverse needs of the elderly in their communities.
The elderly benefited from: material help - social vouchers, food, hygiene and sanitary or paramedical products, basic necessities; practical support - care or housekeeping at home, delivery of groceries or medicines to the home, social counselling and guidance to accessible support services in the community; emotional support, through socialization activities, services to alleviate loneliness or psychological counselling; solutions for active ageing, through volunteering in day centres for children or digital inclusion.
"For me, solitude is isolation. Unfortunately, no one opens the door for me anymore. Since the death of my husband, my life is over because I have lost a person with whom I was in constant communication. Now I know that at least once a week, on a Friday, I have someone to talk to and someone who cares about me. I like that I can open my heart, that you listen to me and are interested in my condition," confessed Mrs. T, aged 77, a beneficiary, according to the press release.
In Romania, the resident population of seniors aged 65 and over exceeds 3.8 million people. The challenges of age also come with loneliness, as 1.35 million seniors live alone, the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation said.