International Day for Older Persons

Today we celebrate a significant day - Day for Older Persons is meant to remind us that senior citizens deserve our respect, attention, and care. What is more, the International Day for Older Persons aims to promote critical principles, which have been established to respond to the challenges faced by older persons and build a more inclusive and safe community for all ages. The key objectives listed by the United Nations include the fight against age-motivated discrimination (issues connected to ageism), prevention of disability, providing appropriate and suitable medical care, and ensuring that older persons have full access and can participate in the cultural and economic life of their communities. 

When it comes to the penultimate objective, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity donated equipment for nearly PLN 99 million to Poland's geriatric wards and long-term care facilities. Senior care was the focus of our fundraisers five times when we noticed how neglected this branch of medicine is and how appalling the conditions at the wards where older persons receive care were. So we donated 13 642 medical devices and pieces of furniture (such as beds with bedside cabinets and anti-bedsore mattresses). We have also used the media reach of our Grand Finale fundraisers to publicize senior care in the media and to draw the public's attention to the way we treat older persons - both in our lives and in social life as a whole. 

Overall, we supported: 

• 202 long-term care wards 
• 58 geriatric wards 
• 15 psychogeriatric wards 
• 17 palliative care wards 
• 22 wards where older patients receive care

We bought different types of equipment, including: 

• 8 289 beds 
• 1 590 anti-bedsore mattresses 
• 875 wheelchairs 
• 229 patient lifts 
• 286 bathing chairs.