Fafce: Bassi, “reshaping the way we take care of the elderly. The family as a place of solidarity between generations”

“The mental abuse of loneliness kills the elderly more than coronavirus. To overcome such loneliness, the family must be once again the place of solidarity between generations”. It is the president of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (Fafce), Vincenzo Bassi, that said that, to coincide with the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15th). The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how vulnerable the elderly are: according to Bassi, “new supportive facilities” are required to improve the ways they are currently taken care of, and it is “essential that all the obstacles that families have to face” when they have vulnerable elderly people to look after are removed. In Bassi’s opinion, the post-pandemic period is “an opportunity to reshape the way we take care of the elderly, acknowledging the valuable role they play in our communities, as well as acknowledging the economic value” of the care work the families do and that “should be fairly rewarded and encouraged through appropriate policies”. Along with the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (Comece), Fafce has set up a dedicated workgroup to draw up a discussion document about care for elderly people, as part of the demographic challenges in Europe.
Valentina Bombelli