Identity/Concept of Long Term Care
Values
how values embrace the diversity of users and carers (according to gender, culture and social inequalities) and support the specific needs of hard-to-reach groups
COUNTRY / LOCATION: Greece
Keywords: church charitable work, volunteers, non-discrimination, values
Keywords: church charitable work, volunteers, non-discrimination, values
Archdiocese of Athens Social Services Department - ‘Christian Solidarity’
Summary
he central Social Services Department of the Archdiocese of Athens (‘Christian Solidarity’), existing since 1957 and now reorganised and relocated in a modern setting in the parish of Agios Panteleimon, constitutes the centre for organisation of service provision throughout the 145 parishes of the Archdiocese, as well as liaising with other organisations and service providers and dealing with individual cases.
Whilst social and charitable work has always been expected of and provided by the Church, today the programmes of its Social Services Department target all vulnerable groups, including older people, with respect to their rights to benefit from social protection regardless of race, sex, age, religion and ethnicity.
The department’s staff includes three social workers and three psychologists; their work with older people has changed in character recently, from predominantly support for those with chronic socio-medical problems, to responding to more acute socio-economic and health crises involving not only isolated older people, but also those whose families are no longer able to meet their needs for care.
What is the main benefit for people in need of care and/or carers?
Easy and open access to the neighbourhood church and knowledge of the social circumstances of the older members of the congregation ensures that appropriate and timely support can be available to meet their changing needs, through a variety of professionally organised services, which rely heavily on volunteers.
What is the main message for practice and/or policy in relation to this sub-theme?
The provision of traditional church-based practical, psychological and social support for older people with long-term care needs continues to be an essential service to supplement inadequate, non-comprehensive, inaccessible or unaffordable alternative services, including state, NGO and private care provision.
Why was this example implemented?
Social and charitable work based on Christian values has always been expected of and provided by the Church; in 1940, a service of ‘welfare for soldiers’ was created which, after the liberation of Greece, was renamed ‘Christian Solidarity’. Its Social Services Department now aims to provide a more professional and effective service, targeting specific vulnerable groups such as older people and their families, respecting individuality, liberty and the right of everyone to benefit from social protection regardless of race, sex, age, religion and nationality.
Although other statutory and municipal social services have been developed in the last twenty-five years, these are still not able to comprehensively serve the growing population of older people with complex LTC needs.
The provision of a variety of services, including practical help at home, meals provision, residential and nursing care, together with the department’s links with other short or long-term support services, means that older people’s needs can be assessed and solutions found to a wide range of problems not addressed by formal service pathways.
The recent modernisation of the social service department has included the formation of the NGO ‘APOSTOLI’ to overcome legislative or cultural barriers to networking with organisations with similar aims.
Description
The main objectives of Christian Solidarity are:
a) The immediate provision of any material or other assistance to individuals and groups experiencing poverty, economic and social exclusion.
b) To combat the causes of poverty, social and economic exclusion, as far as possible, by implementing specific programs.
Approximately 40% of their work involves older people and their families. The percentage used to be higher, but during the past two years more people of younger age are asking for help, due to unemployment and being overwhelmed by debts and loans.
The actions of Christian Solidarity are coordinated by the Archdiocese. The staff currently consists of three social workers and three psychologists, who organise the service provision and are supervised by the Director of Economics and the Archbishop himself. The office of General Solidarity directs the Regional Solidarity offices, which direct the 145 parish Charities of the Archdiocese of Athens: Core action is led by the parish, having both clergy and laity as partners, around 4000 volunteers in total, and is economically financed by donations from the approximately 73,000 churchgoing members that attend services annually. Other financial sources include the exploitation of real estate, donations, legacies, income from various activities e.g. tea parties, lottery, selling books and finally the official national ‘Fundraiser of Love’ campaign from 12-19 each December.
Apart from spiritual, psychological or mental support and guidance, actions of parishes to those in need include: regular financial support; free meals; residential care accommodation and home care services for older people (with high quality of services, but with a cost for the users that can afford it); free clothing and footwear; blood transfusion from the blood banks gathered by volunteers (Greeks undergoing surgery are expected to provide/replace units of blood used by recruiting friends and family members as donors); and finally summer holidays in special facilities built or adapted to serve older people.
Older people are encouraged to participate as volunteers and as leaders, and, while enjoying the services that are provided, they also enrich, support and nourish the variety, quality and quantity of the work of Christian Solidarity.
What are/were the effects?
- Meals provision: there are 71 Centres of Congregational Love and a mobile unit called ‘the Arc of Love’, offering 10,350 servings of food daily to homeless and poor, predominantly older people, as well as distributing 5,000 food parcels a year, at a total cost of 5 million euros.
- The 16 Parish Elderly Homes care for 327 self-sufficient older people and 47 bedridden non self-sufficient older people, at a cost of 3,500 million euro/year for personnel salaries only (includes two Child-Care nurseries).
- There are two parish houses, and a short-stay hotel with accommodation, to cover urgent short-term housing needs.
- The ‘Tabitha’ group provides clothing and footwear to refugees, immigrants and the needy, by re-distributing used items donated by other people.
- Blood donation sessions are held at the parish level in collaboration with Nursing Institutions at least once or twice a year.
- Fund raising is done by the ‘Love Movement’ and includes the recovery and redistribution of discarded items and paper recycling programmes.
- Each year the Programme ‘Summer Holidays for the Aged’ provide accommodation for older people by the seaside.
- Christian Solidarity, through its recently formed NGO ‘APOSTOLI’ has successfully linked with and is a member of organisations having similar aims, such as the Greek Network for the Right to Housing and Residential Care and the Greek Network for the Fight against Poverty.
- It also serves as an Educational Centre for TEI Social Work students.
- It collaborates with similar Government agencies and NGOs.
- It participates in meetings, conferences and seminars on subjects related to its various activities.
- It has 4,000 volunteers working in its programmes.
What are the strengths and limitations?
Strengths
The Orthodox Church is a robust foundation that used to be a main component of the national identity of Greece and is still expected to provide support in any personal, social or national challenge; it offers a unique and comprehensive set of services that no other organisation has been able to match so far.
Weaknesses
Main criticisms relate to the relative independence of the Orthodox Church and its services from state control. The service is also generally considered to be a last resort for people that have exhausted family or statutory social support, instead of being a front-line service.
Opportunities
Although obviously religiously orientated, it has embraced all kinds of people, without discrimination.
Whilst not being incorporated into any Statutory Social Solidarity system, the services provided are of a high quality and help to fill large gaps in state and private long-term care provision, so that older people and their families consider it a privilege to be accepted into the services provided, as places are scarce.
Credits
Author: Tasos Mastroyiannakis, CMT ProoptikiReviewer 1: Lis Wagner
Reviewer 2: Jenny Billings
Verified by:
External Links and References
