More than 300,000 elderly people live in Minsk. What guarantees and leisure are provided for them

How the approach to caring for the older generation is changing, what modern pensioners are fond of, was told to journalists on September 29 by Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Minsk City Executive Committee Natalia Karavaya, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.

More than 300,000 elderly people live in Minsk. Of these, 8,000 are over 90 years old. Overstepped the century mark 109 centenarians. The oldest resident of the capital celebrated the 108th anniversary.

The main directions of work with the elderly are enshrined in the National Strategy Active Longevity 2030. The key emphasis is on preserving family and intergenerational ties.

- It is important to create a culture in which caring for the elderly is not a duty, but a natural part of life, a source of wisdom and traditions, Karavaya said. — Since 2023, during the New Year and Christmas holidays, the action “From the heart” is held. Its main goal is to attract the attention of society and youth to the problems of older people. It is hoped that by helping other people's grandparents, young people in the future will translate this care to their own family members.

In Minsk, conditions for employment are created for people of pre-retirement and retirement age. There is an online job search portal, specialized fairs are regularly held. From January 2025, restrictions on the payment of pensions to working pensioners were abolished.

Special attention is paid to social services. It is divided into two directions. Low-mobility citizens are provided with the services of a social worker and a nurse, day care at home is organized. In the capital, more than 5 thousand people use such services. For active elderly people there are day-stay departments, clubs and interest clubs in the territorial centers of social services of the population. They are visited by more than 4 thousand Minsk residents.

The most popular leisure formats are dances, model schools for older women, music classes and social tourism – excursions to historically significant places in Belarus. This year in the Soviet district there was a project to teach the elderly skills of make-up, said N. Karavaya.

The movement of silver volunteers is also developing - about 400 elderly citizens of Minsk are involved. The average age of the volunteer is 72 years, and the oldest is 89 years.