The “75+ Care” programme is a response to the challenges posed by the ongoing demographic processes in Poland, and is therefore aimed at persons aged 75+, who live in small communes with up to 60,000 inhabitants.

– The analysis of the annual reports drawn up by the department show an increase in the number of persons who receive care services in rural, urban and urban-rural municipalities. The strategic goal of the “75+ Care” programme is to develop and improve access to care services, including specialised care services, both for single people and those in families aged 75+ – Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Maląg says.

Who is the “75+ Care” programme dedicated to?

The “75+ Care” programme is addressed to urban, rural, urban-rural municipalities with up to 60,000 inhabitants. Municipalities which join the programme will receive financial support of up to 50 per cent of the expected costs of implementing the task of providing care services, including specialist care services, for persons meeting the criteria set out in the programme.

In 2021, funding under the programme can be used for:

• subsidies for care services, including specialist care services for persons who received such services under the programme to be continued in 2021;

• subsidies for care services or specialised care services for persons to whom these services were not provided in 2020 (new persons);

• funding to increase the number of hours of the provided care services, including specialist care services for people aged 75+.

The programme brings the following possibilities for the municipality to provide care services, including specialised care services, i.e., through:

• employing child carers under an employment contract (the municipality have the possibility to provide such care services in a preferred form only if a child carer is absent on holiday or on sick leave);

• commissioning non-governmental organisations to carry out the task;

• purchasing care services from private sector providers.

An increasing number of persons are using care services

In 2021, 583 municipalities with services for 7,465 people have declared to join the programme. The analysis of requests submitted by Voivodes showed that the estimated amount of funds for the implementation of the task under the programme in question in 2021 amounts to PLN 28,465,290.24 in total for all 16 voivodeships.

What were the figures in the years prior?

In 2018, 394 municipalities joined the “75+ Care” programme and the cost of implementing the programme amounted to PLN 4,304,728 and care services were provided to 2,802 people.

An analysis of reports on the implementation of the programme in 2019 sent by the Voivodes shows that the programme was implemented in 435 municipalities, where the services were provided to 5,143 persons for the total amount of PLN 9,671,561.

In 2020, 509 municipalities joined the programme, and care services were provided to 7,129 persons. In accordance with the preliminary analysis of the reports on the implementation of the programme, the cost of its implementation amounted to PLN 15,183,330. Detailed information on the implementation of the “75+ Care” programme in 2020 will be available in the second quarter of 2021 (by 17^th April 2021), after the Ministry prepares the final report on its implementation.