Goals: describe the main goals of the good practice

Twice a year we organize national conferences on various subjects from the field of population ageing, where we deal with issues of abuse, violation of older people´s rights, cooperation with experts who implement own presentations on this issue and this way we involve them into the work in protection of rights of the elderly.

Raising awareness of wide public on ageing issues and violation of rights of the elderly, because we implement press conference, where we inform the representatives of media on the discussed issues

The conferences are focused on the protection of rights and monitoring of their violation. This year in March it was concretely focused on the issue of elder abuse with participation of police, ministries and government, and older people also.

Target Group: describe on which group the good practice is targeted

Target group – older people who are actively involved in implementation of these activities. Fórum also organizes meeting of Seniors Parliament where are also involved older citizens themselves who define the problems themselves and the needs of this group.

At the conference there are attended also service providers providing help to elderly, representatives of self-government, police, public actors and policy-makers, who discuss within workshops implemented at conferences on concrete subjects and these are background for revision of law.

Approach: describe the way in which the good practice is implemented.

We organize at least once in a year national conferences on elderly issues. We created Parliament of Seniors where work active and experts groups. Into the work of parliament there are involved also older citizens who can actively influence the approval of conclusions from discussions and defining of concrete problems.

Older citizens work within parliament of seniors also in active groups that implement their activity directly in regions and cooperate there with local and regional self-government. Older people in active groups work on backgrounds fro amendment in legislation for protection against abuse.

Within the meetings of Seniors Parliament older people work actively in expert groups where they discuss and form own proposals for improvements and speak about their knowledge of discrimination at various levels. This view is very important as it mentions concrete examples from life of the elderly and documents current situation of older citizens.

Within Slovakia we implement also campaigns – we are writing to members of parliament, government and media.

We implement activities for amendments in legislation in the field of elder abuse.

Who does implement this good practice? Mention, if relevant, the organisation or persons who do the work.

This activities are implemented by our organisation, including their preparention and conference. We cooperate with our member organisations, self-government, public actors, ministries, representatives of Universities, organisations providing help to elderly and implement activities with and for elderly. The activity of implementing conferences and meetings of target group with experts is a good practice for solving the issue.

What material is available on this good practice (description, website etc.)

The reports from these conferences are available on our website www.forumseniorov.sk

How widely is this good practice used in your country?

Conferences are very important practice for monitoring problems and needs of older people, and also other groups, where not only older people are involved to a great extent but also the experts.

On the campaign we cooperate with local, reginal and national media. We inform on gained knowledge on violation of rights and elder abuse.

What are the results, outcomes, experiences with this good practice? Please mention the source(s).

This way we managed to get lectors teaching in Universities, representatives of individual ministries

There is being created space for change in attitude especially of younger generation towards the elderly and possibility of intergeneration cooperation.

We are successful in getting concrete media and redactors who are dealing more often with these issues.

Based on our campaign we noted that the interest of media in this issue raised and hence the awareness of the whole society is rising.

Based on presented information in public the age-friendly environment is improving as we provide concrete knowledge from practice on the life and needs of this generation.

Within the Parliament of seniors work also expert groups – we created group “observance of rights, discrimination of the elderly”. This group monitors current situation in Slovakia in observance of rights, elder abuse with the aim to prepare the amendment in legislation. Currently we implement questionnaire-based survey.

In March 2011 there was organised very important conference “Dignity and well-being of the elderly” where we success in inviting and active involving or representatives of Ministries – Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Justice, representatives of government office – department of human rights and minorities, and also representatives of police, where we dealt with the elder abuse. Presentations, professional lectures were focused on this subject.

Older citizens are more actively involved into our activities and activities for enforcement and protection of rights. And affecting local and regional policy.

Are there effect studies? Please mention the source(s) if the answer is ‘yes’.

These materials are background for Ministries and they use them in monitoring of older epople´s problems.

What are the success factors?

Older people within the work of active group are gaining more confidence and communicate in their neighbourhood or region with politicians and policy-makers. The interest of media in this issue rising and hence the awareness of the whole society is rising.

It is important that these ministries show interest in cooperation with our organisation on this issue, because it can help to improve the current situation.