I want to help retirees. How can retirees be helped? Do not pay for gasification

Volunteers are people who provide free assistance to citizens who find themselves in difficult life situations. Recently, more and more people are interested in the volunteer movement in Russia.

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There is a lot of information on the Internet about people who need help, through social networks it is faster to coordinate and agree on where, how and who can be helped. Naturally, retirees, especially the lonely and the elderly, need help first.

What help do retirees need?

There are pensioners in Russia, including in Moscow - people who are lonely and low-income (and the size of their pension is still much to be desired) - who need medicines and help in everyday life. Not to mention live human communication. They also have problems with housing - with the same, and with security - and other rabble trying to cash in on simple-minded and gullible elderly people.

Charitable Foundation "Old Age in Joy", for example, was established specifically to help nursing homes and elderly people. Volunteers from this fund travel to nursing homes, make gifts to their residents, and look for "pennies". The fund, in addition to the Moscow Region, has branches in St. Petersburg, Omsk, and the Sverdlovsk Region, and, among other things, they bring the things they need to nursing homes: diapers, wheelchairs, bed linen, anti-decubitus mattresses, special medical supplies, and hygiene products. They have their own volunteer code, as well as rules for participation in the activities of the "Old Age in Joy" group.

There is also a charity foundation "Sofia" and "Moscow Society of Sisters of Mercy", which are associated with the administration of Moscow.

The organization "Russian Red Cross" operates, the program of which provides assistance to lonely and needy pensioners, an autonomous charitable non-profit organization "Perspektiva".

In addition, there are groups on social networks that you can enroll in, created specifically to help veterans, they are easy to find by searching in a particular network. If you have the opportunity and desire, you can create a similar group in social networks yourself and organize other caring people. Remember, whoever you are, you have the opportunity to help those in need. The main thing is that there is a desire.

What does it take to become a volunteer?

According to the regulation of the Russian Red Cross, a person who has reached the age of 14 can become a volunteer, some organizations talk about 13 years of age. The degree of responsibility and competence depends on the work performed by the volunteers.

Admission to volunteers is carried out, as a rule, by representatives of local branches of public organizations, and they also make the selection. There are no special requirements, except for the fact that you need to be physically resilient and mentally healthy, including the ability to calculate your strength. The main principles of work are - the desire to help people voluntarily, conscientiousness, observance and knowledge of the law. In addition, each organization may have its own specifics and rules of work.

Last time we talked about? Today the topic is completely different: how to help pensioners.

Once upon a time, the famous German writer Thomas Mann said that old age should in no way become a process of decline. However, looking at our pensioners, you understand how difficult it is for an elderly person to live in the modern world. But each of us, showing a minimum of participation, may well brighten up their monotonous everyday life and, as far as possible, improve their living conditions. Perhaps it is you, by your example, who will show people how acute and relevant this problem is.

On the eve of the most family holiday in Moscow, the Great New Year's collection of gifts for nursing homes has been announced. Your modest gifts can give these people a holiday:

• bright calendars, always with large print
• personal hygiene items
• head scarves
• warm socks
• slippers (from size 39) are required with a back
• soft sweets (marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade, bars).

You can make your contribution to this good endeavor on December 18 from 6 pm to 9 pm in 6 Starbucks coffee shops. For more information, you can refer to the site.

You can provide all possible assistance to the capital's pensioners by becoming a volunteer who will visit elderly people in nursing homes, provide targeted assistance or carry on correspondence with lonely pensioners. And believe that any kind word spoken or written by you, addressed to them, will brighten up their loneliness. You can find out more about the volunteer movement in Moscow on the website.

Social assistance is a way of supporting the poor and needy segments of the population from federal and regional municipal organizations.

Pensioners are considered the most needy group of citizens for support. The rules for providing state social assistance to pensioners are spelled out in federal legislation. Assistance to retirees is carried out in financial or material form.

Social assistance is a form of support for the poor and especially needy segments of the population from the federal and regional municipality.

Support may not be available to all elderly citizens. Financial assistance is allowed only if the legal requirements for the provision of such benefits are met. You can count on such mandatory support:

1. Lonely unemployed pensioners whose income does not correspond to the double living wage;
2. Disabled people and non-working pensioners living together with relatives or a spouse, if the income for each family member is not equal to two times the minimum subsistence level;
3. Non-working pensioners who have been assigned departmental payments in the case of a document confirming the provision / non-provision of material assistance.

Types of social support for pensioners

Federal legislation provides for three main methods of social support for pensioners. The type of support can be either standard for everyone or depend on the area of ​​residence of the person in need.

Do not forget that the funded part of the maternity capital can be calculated with a one-time social support or distributed evenly over months before the survival period. To do this, when drawing up a pension document, inform the employee of the MFC or the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation about your desire to dispose of this funded pension part, if you have one.

The monthly social payment for pension is focused on increasing the pension to the level of the subsistence level of the territory where the needy lives

Types of material social assistance

The state provides for several main types of material assistance:

State targeted one-time material social assistance

Targeted support is provided to territorial social protection. It is intended for non-working lonely pensioners, if they live together with close relatives who have the status of unemployed, the total family income does not exceed fifteen thousand.

This type of assistance can be provided no more than once a year and only for specific purposes. For example, for expensive treatment, heating needs, housing repairs, in the event of an emergency. It is worth remembering that in order to determine the cost of housing repair and further assistance, you will need an act of inspection and appraisal of real estate, the provision of an estimate and supporting documents on spending. It will be possible to receive financial assistance only if the specified documents are available and all requirements are met;

Material support for a former employee who retired from the organization early due to seniority or old age

This type of support is perhaps the most vague one due to the fact that the decision to grant additional pensions or provide material aid is governed by the provisions of the collective agreement of the enterprise where the former employee worked. Help is provided to pensioners for expensive treatment, on the occasion of retirement due to age / disability.

To apply for assistance, you must provide a personal statement to the employer indicating the reason for the request. With any decision, an order is issued informing about the provision of material assistance to pensioners or refusal with a mandatory indication of the reason.

This type of assistance is not subject to income tax, if the support is not related to labor discipline and working conditions, but if it is allocated for solving a difficult life situation, then the payment is recommended to be attributed to expenses. Insurance deductions are also not provided for the provision of assistance not exceeding four thousand and apply to cases of payments due to natural disasters, adoption / birth of a child, death of a close relative.

Target contracts.

This type of support is focused on adaptation and assistance in the employment of pensioners and disabled people. A tripartite agreement for training and patronage in the employment of such citizens is concluded with a pensioner / disabled person, social service, educational institution. The social group of such persons is sent to retraining / training in specialties in demand on the labor market. Thus, organizing their leisure time and providing an opportunity for further employment.

Comprehensive social assistance package: what it includes and who is entitled to

Comprehensive social assistance is focused on providing support to single and disabled family pensioners, participants in hostilities.

Comprehensive social support is focused on providing support to single and disabled family pensioners, combatants who are already receiving a pension.

Comprehensive social assistance includes:

1. Medicines. Providing needy retirees with expensive medicines that they cannot buy on their own.
2. Treatment in a sanatorium. On the recommendation of a doctor and with a referral for appropriate treatment. It is provided no more than once a calendar year upon the personal application of the applicant.
3. Payment for travel to the sanatorium and back. The concessionary fare applies to travel by bus, train, air transport, as well as ferry crossing on river and sea transport.

Special conditions differ from the standard ones apply to a disabled pensioner of the first group: he is entitled to sanatorium treatment not once, but twice a year, as well as compensation for travel back and forth not only to the applicant, but also to one accompanying person.

The procedure for registration of social assistance

A lot of questions and difficulties arise among older people who claim social support from the state. There is nothing to be afraid of, everything that you are entitled to will be happily assigned and paid. It is often difficult for pensioners to understand the bureaucratic system: what kind of material aid is required, how to get material support, where and to whom can you go for help and advice? You must contact your local social service or local MFC. Employees of state organizations will provide you with detailed free advice.

To apply for assistance, you must:

1. Write a personal statement to the territorial pension fund with a request to provide social support. In the document, it is mandatory to indicate the type of desired benefit and the reason for the need.
2. Provide copies:

• pension certificate;
• passports;
• certificates of income of all family members living with a pensioner (if he is not alone);
• a certificate of disability (if a disability group is established);
• other documents.

1. The application and copies of documents are provided in person or through a legal representative of an incapacitated citizen. The list of documents may differ depending on the territory and type of assistance provided;
2. Wait ten business days while your application is pending. It is possible that additional verification of compliance with the stated request may be required. In this case, you will be notified in advance of the date and time of the visit to you by an authorized officer of the FIU. The processing time of the application for additional verification is regulated by legislative acts up to thirty working days.

If you refuse to provide assistance or want to appeal the decision under constitutional law, you can file a complaint with the same body within five days. In case of repeated refusal and full confidence that you are right, it is possible to file a claim again only in the territorial court.

How can you save money? What are the benefits for pensioners? Are you using all the opportunities? Check our list to see if you can find a new resource and a reason to ask for help. And in order for your appeal to local officials to become more reasoned, we will indicate the articles of the Laws on which you should rely in each case.

Thank you for your help in preparing the material of the lawyer of the Moscow collegium of lawyers "Yulova and partners" Ksenia Vlasova.

1. Compensate for travel expenses to the place of rest and back.

Compensation can be received by non-working pensioners-northerners who receive an old-age and disability retirement pension. Pensioners living in the Far North and equated territories (Article 34 of the Law of 19.02.1993 N4520-1), such compensation is provided once every two years.

The territorial body of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation provides the privilege, so you need to contact the PFR branch at the place of residence where the pension file is located. You can also contact the Pension Fund through the MFC.

There are two options for obtaining compensation: to get tickets directly or first buy them yourself, and then return the money spent (clauses 2, 3, 6 of the Rules for reimbursement of travel expenses for pensioners, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 01.04.2005 No. 176) ...
How to arrange:

1. If you need to get tickets in advance, before departure, you need to document the upcoming stay in a sanatorium, a holiday home, a camp site or in another place of rest.

2. Monetary compensation can be received after the rest. In this case, air or train tickets will need to be attached to the application for reimbursement of travel expenses.

There are no restrictions on carriers: it can be both state and private transport companies. But only tickets for travel within the territory of Russia, including Crimea, are paid for (clauses 7, 9 of Rules No. 176; clauses 13, 19 of the Administrative Regulations, approved by Order of the Ministry of Labor of Russia dated 10.22.2012 No. 331n).

2. To transfer the balance of property tax deductions for personal income tax to the previous tax periods.

A pensioner who has bought any real estate can reimburse part of the costs incurred. He has the right to receive property deductions for expenses for the acquisition (or construction) of a residential building, apartment, room. The deduction also applies to the payment of interest on targeted loans (mortgages) and loans that the pensioner took for these purposes. The deduction is provided for three tax periods preceding the period in which the carry-over balance of property deductions was formed (clause 10 of article 220 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).

A tax deduction can also be obtained if the house (apartment) was bought together with another owner. That is, the pensioner has a share.

The privilege also applies to the acquisition of a land plot, however, not any, but issued for individual housing construction. A garden plot or a piece of land used for a vegetable garden is not subject to this provision of the law. But the land plot on which the purchased residential building is located (or a share in them), it is quite possible to declare and get some of the money spent back.

The amount of property deduction for expenses for the purchase (construction) of housing and the deduction for expenses for the payment of interest on a loan taken for the purchase (construction) of housing cannot exceed 2 million rubles and 3 million rubles, respectively (clauses 1, clause 3, cl. 4 article 220 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).

It's important to know! "Plank" in 3 million rubles. property tax deduction for the cost of paying interest on a housing (construction) loan was established only for loans received from the beginning of this year - from January 1, 2014 (clause 4 of article 2 of the Law of 23.07.2013 No. 212-FZ).

3. Not pay property tax.

Not everyone knows this and, having reached retirement age and having issued a pension, they continue to regularly pay receipts for property taxes sent by the tax inspectorate. In fact, according to the law, the state does not take such payments from pensioners.

The tax is zeroed on the following types of real estate:
... apartment or room;
... House;
... garage or parking space in a common garage;
... premises used as creative workshops, ateliers, studios, non-state museums, galleries, libraries;
... household buildings, the area of ​​which does not exceed 50 sq. m and which are located on land plots provided for the conduct of personal subsidiary plots, summer cottages, individual housing construction.

The privilege is granted in relation to one object of taxation of each type.

If, for example, a pensioner owns an apartment, a house and a garage, he is fully exempt from paying tax on all this property. And if a pensioner has two apartments and a house, then he is entitled to a tax relief for the house, as well as for only one of the apartments. The tax for the second apartment will have to be paid.

As in the case of the tax deduction, zero property tax is also established if the citizen has a share in the right of common property (clause 2 of article 4 of the Law of 09.12.1991 No. 2003-1).

It is quite easy to get rid of the obligation to pay property tax annually: a document on the right to benefits (in other words, a pension certificate) must be personally submitted to the tax office (clause 1 of article 5 of the Law of 09.12.1991 No. 2003-1).

It's important to know! If a pensioner has submitted the necessary documents to the tax office after the moment of retirement, the tax authorities must recalculate the tax paid to him and return the money.

If a pensioner as of 12/31/2014 was granted a property tax benefit in accordance with the Law of 12/09/1991 No. 2003-1, then he has the right not to re-submit the application and documents confirming the right to the benefit to the tax authority (part 4 of Art. . 3 of the Law of 04.10.2014 No. 284-FZ).

If a pensioner owns several objects of taxation of the same type (for example, three apartments), he must submit an application to the tax office before November 1 of the calendar year in which he was entitled to the benefit and indicate which apartment should not be taxed. That is, the owner himself chooses the property to use his right to the benefit.

4. Pay a discounted rate for home renovations.

Such benefits are provided to citizens who either deserve special preferences from the state, or who are not able to independently pay payments due to objective reasons. The benefit applies, inter alia, to the following categories:

Victims of political repression who have undergone rehabilitation;
... disabled people and participants of the Second World War, as well as persons equated to them;
... liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster and persons affected by radiation;
... labor veterans;
... residents of besieged Leningrad;
... combat veterans;
... widows of military personnel during the Second World War;
... rural teachers and certain categories of state employees (regionally);
... large families;
... pensioners over the age of 70.

Regions and local governments can establish their own specific rules. The exact list of persons entitled to these benefits in Moscow can be found on the website of the city center for housing subsidies: www.subsident.ru

Benefits are provided as a percentage of the social rate of payment for utilities. The amount of the benefit depends on the category of the citizen. The calculation of benefits is carried out by the social support bodies (social security). Payment of benefits depends on the category of the person, in particular, both regional and federal budgets can participate.

Pay all bills for utilities and other services, since the law determines that defaulters cannot claim benefits for major repairs.

It is necessary to apply for benefits at the MFC, the social protection department or use the public services portal (www.gosuslugi.ru/).

5. Do not pay income tax (personal income tax) on a part of income.

Not subject to personal income tax:
... the amount of state pensions and labor pensions, as well as all social benefits, regardless of whether they are federal or regional (that is, paid in accordance with Russian legislation or regional laws (clause 2 of article 217 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);
... the amount of payment at the expense of the own funds of the organization of the cost of sanatorium vouchers, as well as the cost of treatment and medical care for former employees who quit due to retirement due to disability or old age (clauses 9, 10, article 217 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);
... the amount of material assistance not exceeding 4000 rubles. for the year provided by employers to their former employees who quit due to retirement due to disability or age (clause 28, article 217 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).
It's important to know! Certain tax benefits for retirees may be established by regional or local law. We are talking about "local" taxes, the rate for taxation on them (whether the exemption from payment is full or at a reduced rate) is approved by regional and local authorities.
It's important to know! What taxes does this apply to:
... benefits for payment of transport tax (Article 356 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);
... benefits for the payment of land tax (clause 2 of article 387 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).

6. Get additional leave without pay.

Working retirees also have some benefits. For example, the employer is obliged, on the basis of the employee's application, to provide him with unpaid leave (Article 128 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). The amount of such leave (the maximum number of days provided during the year) depends on the category of the pensioner:

Participants in the Great Patriotic War have the right to receive up to 35 calendar days a year;
... working old-age pensioners (by age) are entitled to up to 14 calendar days a year;
... working pensioners with disabilities - up to 60 calendar days a year.

7. Take free training or advanced training in the employment service.

Citizens who have reached retirement age, but do not want to interrupt their active life, can contact the employment service and undergo advanced training in their field. You can also master another profession: undergo retraining and retraining.

8. Get targeted assistance.

Targeted material assistance is provided to citizens, including pensioners, who are in difficult life situations. The law stipulates that such assistance can be obtained not only in the form of money. You can get food, sanitation and hygiene products, clothes, shoes and other essentials. The law also provides for the provision of fuel, as well as special vehicles, technical means for the rehabilitation of disabled people and persons in need of outside care (clause 1 of article 8 of the Law of 10.12.1995 No. 195-FZ).

The regions are responsible for such assistance. At the local level, depending on the available opportunities, special documents are specified and the types and amounts of support, and the conditions for obtaining it. Therefore, when asking for help, you must first ask for a normative act that regulates the provision of targeted assistance where you live.

The grounds and procedure for providing targeted material assistance are provided for by the legislation of the constituent entities of Russia (that is, each region adopts its own law) (clause 2 of article 8 of the Law of December 10, 1995 No. 195-FZ).

For example, in Moscow there is a Regulation on the procedure for the provision of targeted social assistance by bodies and institutions of social protection to citizens in difficult life situations (approved by the decree of the Moscow government dated March 24, 2009 No. 215-PP). According to this document, in Moscow, a one-time material (monetary) payment is provided for elderly citizens who are in a difficult life situation and are in dire need of social support (clauses 2, 3 of the Regulations). In addition, on the basis of the regulation, it is possible to provide food and clothing assistance, to provide sanitary and hygienic and patronage and social services (clauses 4, 5, 6 of the Regulation).
In the Moscow region, another document is in force: The procedure for providing material assistance at the expense of the budget of the Moscow region to citizens who are in difficult life situations and have a place of residence in the Moscow region (approved by the decree of the government of the Moscow region dated 10.03.2005 No. 162/7). In the Moscow region, according to this document, one-time financial assistance in cash and in kind is provided for those in dire need (clauses 7, 8 of the Procedure).

We have given the names of these documents as an example. Similar regulations apply in other regions of the country.

It's important to know! It is not easy to get targeted support. What is meant by a “difficult life situation”? Seeking help can be caused, in particular, by such extraordinary circumstances as natural disaster (flood, earthquake, landslide), fire, flooding of an apartment, theft of property, death of close relatives, etc. (clause 3 of the Regulation; clause 1 of the Procedure; clause 9 of the Rules).

9. Do not pay for gasification.

The rules for the financial support of social programs in the regions (see the decree of the government of the Russian Federation of 10.06.2011 No. 456) provide for the financing of expenses (provision of one-time financial assistance) to reimburse the expenses incurred by a pensioner on gasification of his housing. The benefit applies to non-working pensioners who own a residential building.

It's important to know! This house should be the only place of their residence (clause 9 of the Rules).

Regional authorities provide such assistance to non-working pensioners who receive an old-age and disability retirement pension. It can be a ministry, department or committee of social protection of the population of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation. Assistance is provided at the expense of subsidies from the PFR budget if the region has adopted a social program for rural gasification. For example, in the Moscow region, this assistance is provided for by the program approved by the decree of the Moscow region government dated August 22, 2013 No. 636/36.

As a rule, the full amount of the cost of connecting gas to the house is not returned: part of the costs is borne by the pensioner himself. What share of the payment can be reimbursed to him - each region decides.

10. Receive free medicines and vaccinations.

Elderly people have the right to receive medical care not only in the general network of polyclinics and hospitals, but also in gerontological centers and geriatric clinics. The procedure for referring patients to these organizations is established by the regions.

In addition, elderly people with disabilities and who have not refused a set of social services are entitled to receive subsidized medicines. The current list of medicines includes 360 names of drugs provided as part of outpatient care, of which 228 names (63%) are vital and essential drugs (see orders of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia dated September 18, 2006 No. 665 and dated December 29 2004 No. 328).

Disabled veterans are also eligible for free spa stays. Patients undergo aftercare and rehabilitation in sanatoriums within the framework of territorial programs after high-tech treatment.

Since 2013, older citizens (from 60 to 99 years old) must undergo medical examination (see the order of the Ministry of Health of Russia dated 03.12.2012 No. 1006n). Clinical examination is carried out 1 time in 3 years, with the exception of invalids of the Great Patriotic War, persons awarded the sign "Inhabitant of blockade Leningrad" and recognized as invalids due to general illness, work injury and other reasons. These groups undergo prophylactic medical examination annually, regardless of age.

The National Vaccination Schedule states that citizens 60 years old can get the flu shot annually. The start time of vaccination is announced every autumn, depending on the epidemiological situation in the region. To get vaccinated for free, you need to contact your local doctor at the local polyclinic.

11. Ask a question to a lawyer online

If after the publication you need clarifications, you still have questions, you can ask the lawyer every Thursday from 11 am to 5 pm Moscow time on the website.

# GenerousTuesday is an opportunity to do something meaningful for different people. Fortunately, recently there are more and more people who are ready to help not only children, but also the elderly.

We have developed special instructions on how you can help lonely elderly people with the greatest benefit for them.

Why help?

Helping the elderly is not the most popular area of ​​charity, often people start thinking about them mainly on May 9 and on the New Year. People bring or give gifts and again forget about the old people. But the main contradiction is that even in the presence of material difficulties, grandparents most of all need not gifts and things, but constant attention and participation.

In particular, help is needed for lonely elderly people with limited mobility and those who live in nursing homes.

Assistance in nursing homes

Nursing homes are an inevitable phenomenon: some are left without relatives, are weakened and cannot serve themselves, some have relatives left for another city, others have relatives, but there is not enough living space and the opportunity to care for the elderly. What is life in a state institution at the expense of the state? This is a roof over your head, breakfast-lunch-dinner and someone else's bathrobe after a general wash.

Old people living in boarding houses do not just remain outside of life, they cease to exist for the outside world. They live somewhere out there, often forgotten, alone and completely devoid of attention. In total, there are more than 2,000 nursing homes and institutions in Russia, where more than 10,000 lonely old people live.

The main problems of an elderly person in a nursing home are loneliness, lack of personal space and absolute free time with nothing to occupy. Walkers have the opportunity to go to the lobby to see the TV or to the store, take a walk around the territory. Those who are lying are forced to lie down and, if they are lucky, listen to the radio or TV - whoever has them in the ward. They are visited only by a nurse who brings food and most often silently and hurriedly feeds from a spoon, because she has 30 more people in line.

Of course, hobbies and hobbies are not prohibited in the nursing home, and there are real craftsmen among the grandparents. But who, for example, will buy yarn for your grandmother? And what if 75% of her pension goes to the boarding school, and for the rest she wants to buy something tasty. Or, the rest of the money can be given to nurses altogether - for additional services, such as an extra diaper change or a trip to the store.

Helping the elderly at home

Many elderly people living at home also need help - with housework, medical care, etc. They need attention and communication. But in this case, a number of difficulties arise. The first is to find contacts and establish access to the apartment. No services under the law on personal data ever give addresses and phone numbers of elderly people.

If, nevertheless, you managed to get to know your grandfather or grandmother and start helping, then the family may be wary and distrustful of the person who for some reason began to come to their elderly relative. Unfortunately, these fears are not always in vain, especially given the widespread use of fraudulent schemes.

In addition, it may seem to an elderly person that after the visit of a volunteer, something is missing in the house, and then the volunteer may have problems - he is not protected from such situations in any way. During a visit, an elderly person may become ill. That is, the volunteer must be prepared for many situations.

Thus, when it comes to a person living at home, it is very difficult to organize permanent assistance, training of a volunteer is required, contact with social services (most elderly people living at home, if necessary, receive the services of a social worker), regulation of the relationship "volunteer - ward" how something by agreement. Of course, this can only be done by an organization with work experience. For example, a network of assistance to the elderly is developed in the Red Cross organization.

What is needed first?

• For the elderly, personal attention, care and respect, creative employment are important

One of the biggest problems of the elderly in nursing homes is apathy and indifference to the surrounding reality, up to "loss of personality", when elderly people answer "what they say, we will do" and calmly perceive the absence of locks on the doors, rude behavior with themselves and poor material conditions.

For the staff, people who have to be cleaned every day, who, moreover, have their own "oddities" and whims, also lose their individuality, and together with fatigue, sometimes cause neglect. According to the staff, the boarding school can have 2-3 nurses for 50 bedridden people, and the staff physically lacks the strength to communicate and pay attention. So it turns out that a person has no personal space, he is dependent, and no one is interested in his needs.

Older people often withdraw into themselves and soon enough lose the motivation to do anything at all. To avoid this and return them to their interest in life and the feeling of being individuals, communication, comfortable conditions, and proper care are necessary. Therefore, it is so important to communicate with grandparents, to give them the opportunity to feel respect for themselves.

It is especially important to give the residents of the boarding school the opportunity to be creative and express themselves, to make their brain work, because after so many years of forced idleness, old people lose the habit of having to think and do anything. For example, the Old Age in Joy Foundation hires cultural and art therapists to work with older people who first resist, and then begin to create with enthusiasm, prepare for new activities and present their works at exhibitions.

Seniors who live independently also need communication and creativity. The charities that help them involve them in a variety of creative and intellectual pursuits.

• Material and household problems

The conditions in which people live in boarding schools are far from comfortable. Many nursing homes, primarily in the regions, are often in a state of disrepair. The interior of the institutions is very far from our ideas about comfort - state walls painted with paint, unrepaired bathrooms, an overgrown courtyard, and also 3-4 more roommates. Therefore, any grain of attention and care for these people is real joy and happiness. Older people living independently, especially in small towns or rural areas, have material and everyday problems that can be helped to solve. For example, elderly people often need help with their daily needs - cleaning the yard, bringing water, cleaning the apartment / house.

How can you help?

To help effectively, not to harm and not to find difficulties and problems, you need to join experienced organizations or groups. Or start helping a well-known person, a neighbor.

You can:

1. Regularly, and not only on holidays, pay attention and help some elderly person.

• Go to visit grandparents in a nursing home. Every weekend you can join a volunteer trip, take part in a concert, sing songs, bring sweet gifts and cheer up grandparents.
• Become a “penpal grandson”. After all, many old people are lonely, and postcards and letters become real strings connecting complete strangers from different parts of the world.

2. Help with buying basic necessities (food, medicine, bed care products) or help with house cleaning, cooking, etc.

• Purchase the necessary things that volunteers can take to boarding homes or give to those in need:
  - for boarding schools: diapers, personal care items, rehabilitation products, etc.), medical equipment;
  - for those living at home, the list is formed in each specific situation upon request.
• Go to a distant village, bring food to lonely old people, raise funds and buy firewood for the winter.
• Send a food parcel to poor old people living in the countryside, because in the regions the pension is sometimes minimal, and single grandparents living in their homes are sometimes beyond the edge of poverty. For example, the community http://together.ru/ offers a variety of initiatives for those who want to help the elderly in a targeted manner. This includes the collection of food parcels, home repair and cleaning, etc. These initiatives work on demand, word of mouth or in cooperation with social protection authorities.
• You can join the action "Give firewood"