The approval of the pilot operation of the "Red Button" Program by the Elderly Observatory is announced by the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Marilena Evangelou, with the aim of supporting people aged 75 and over who live alone in their homes, as well as elderly couples who are recipients of a Guaranteed Minimum Income or Low Pensioner's Allowance and meet specific criteria.
According to an announcement by the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, Mrs. Evangelou announces the implementation of the "Red Button" Program after the completion of the evaluation process and the approval of its pilot operation, which is undertaken by the Elderly Observatory.
Specifically, it is noted, the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare approved, in the framework of the Minor State Aid Plan for the PSOs, the granting of funding to the Observatory, marking the start of the program in a pilot phase.
The "Red Button" Program will operate on a 24-hour basis, through a Call Management Coordination Center, which will consist of scientifically trained personnel.
"The aim is to support people aged 75 and over who live alone in their homes, as well as elderly couples who are recipients of a Guaranteed Minimum Income or Low Pensioner's Allowance and meet specific criteria," it says. In particular, it adds, it will be taken into account, among other things, whether they face health problems, whether they live in remote areas and whether they do not have a support network.
"The intervention concerns psychological support and specific cases of emergencies such as health issues, abuse, fire, flood or other conditions," it says.
The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, described the implementation of the Program as "of exceptional importance", "underlining that the 'Red Button' is a particularly important tool that aims to strengthen the protection and support of the Elderly".
"This is a Programme that the Government included in the actions of the first National Strategy for Active Ageing in Cyprus, which was approved in February by the Council of Ministers", he noted, pointing out that "despite the challenges of the whole project, the Government is implementing it with determination, six years after its initial announcement, because he believes in it," he said. "We are essentially upgrading the quality of life of our elderly fellow citizens, who laid the foundations of the society we enjoy today," he stressed.
The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare thanked the Senior Citizen Observatory for its contribution and announced that a joint press conference will follow, during which the details of the operation of the Program will be presented in detail.
It is noted that the implementation of the Program will be re-evaluated six months after its operation.
