The city of KecskemŽt faces the same social and demographic challenges as most of the European cities. One of the most urgent task which requires a comprehensive local solution is social ageing. The proportion of people over the age of 60 will be over 40% of the city population within the next two decades. This specific situation demands a paradigm shift in the field of social care, health services, employment system and life long learning. The poor senior health indicators, the overloaded healthcare and social system, the tension between generations, the lack of cooperation and the social discontentement are challenges which have to be responsed.
The rapidly growing rate of senior citizens, the declining population and the shrinking labour supply are also belong to the social challenges of the current situation. In addition, we can’t neglect the individual aspects as well. Losing jobs and tasks, health problems, financial difficulties, loss of competence, isolation, lack of plans for the future, loss of dignity and pressure to adapt are all can be the characteristics of ageing.
The Program aims to overcome and improve the forementioned challenges. In order to achieve this goal we try to implement a kind of social innovation which offers a model for establishing the ecosystem of social ageing.
This model is centered around the utilization of senior experiences and the outsourcing of senior knowledge assets. We would like to create a targeted ecosystem with new organizational frameworks and operating mechanisms, new forms of market cooperations and institutional connections. This model is based on International researches and experiences, primarily customized to Eastern and Central European societies.