International Day of Older People was established on 14 December 1990 by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

– Senior policy is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. However, “senior policy” relates to people in particular. They are our priority – comments Marlena Maląg, Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy.

Wise senior policy. People at the centre

One of the areas of activity that make up the senior policy involves the promotion of active ageing.

– It is extremely important to provide the elderly people with opportunities and space to pursue their passions and learn new things. That is achieved by such programmes as the “Senior+” and the Government Programme for Social Participation of Senior Citizens. Due to such programmes, each year a growing number of seniors use the rich offer of various types of classes - indicates Minister Marlena Maląg.

Senior+ Programme from its very beginning involves PLN 80 million for establishing new houses and “Senior+” clubs and funding of existing ones. By the end of 2019, there were over 770 facilities across the country, offering a total of approximately 19 thousand places for senior citizens. In the 2020 edition, funding was provided to 258 new institutions, and 600 existing clubs and houses.

The Government Programme for Social Participation of Senior Citizens involves PLN 40 million of funding per year for projects involving various types of educational, artistic and sports activities, workshops and intergenerational integration. Over 300 projects were co-financed in 2020, covering approximately 151,000 persons, including over 10,400 persons with disabilities. Between 2016-2020, co-financing covered a total of 1,744 projects, which benefited approximately 724.5 thousand people, including nearly 49 thousand persons with disabilities.

Decent benefits, decent pensions

We also need to stress the importance of financial allowances. “Mother 4+” was introduced on March 1  of 2019. It is a benefit for persons (mainly women) who have devoted themselves to bringing up four, five or more children and thus had to resign from professional career or had to limit their working hours below the threshold required to receive even the minimum pension. The benefit is granted in the amount of the minimal retirement pension. At the end of July 2020. Social Insurance Institution and Agricultural Social Insurance Fund granted a total of 58 thousand benefits.

Minister Marlena Maląg also points out that with each subsequent valorisation, the government intends to help senior citizens by increasing their benefits.

- We pay particular importance to the increase in minimum pensions, which is a part of the government's policy to improve the situation of the groups with the lowest income. Additional support for seniors also includes the thirteenth pension - enumerates the Minister.

Between 2016 and 2020, the minimum pension increased by 36 percent. – from PLN 882.56 to PLN 1200. The thirteenth pension was paid out in 2019 for the first time. At the time, it became a benefit guaranteed under the Act. In 2020 it was granted to approximately 9.8 million pensioners, including 285 thousand social pensioners. The cost of issuing the additional benefit in 2020 amounted to approximately PLN 11.7 billion, and in 2019 - PLN 10.8 billion.

Big Family Card also for parents of adult children

One form of appreciating of the efforts of bringing up more children involved extending the Big Family Card on 1 January 2019 to include parents who have brought up at least 3 children.

The Big Family Card provides discounts for railway transportation, free admission to national parks, lower passport fees, as well as discounts on food, clothes, shoes, cosmetic products, books and petrol. Today, the Big Family Card honours approximately 7.2 thousand partners in 26.5 thousand sales points throughout Poland, and the number of such sales points continues to increase.

The number of families using the Big Family Card has exceeded 1 million. We currently have approximately 3 million 250 thousand active cards.