Rural communities of isolated elders growing
Greece has one of the highest percentages of elderly residents in rural and remote areas in the EU, experiencing insurmountable difficulties, according to a study by the Care Policy and Evaluation Center of the London School of Economics by Maria Karagiannidou, Raphael Wittenberg and Dr Jacqueline Daman in collaboration with Thalia Rizou.
Highlighting the difficulties, Karagiannidou bemoaned “the complete lack in Greece of data on older people and their needs.”
According to UN data, Greece’s population is aging faster than almost any European country and some municipalities in the country are predominantly populated by older people. Greece was sixth in the world with a population over 60 in 2015.
The CPEC study noted that populations in rural areas have reduced access to services and activities, and older residents of remote areas faced the risk of social exclusion, loneliness, reduced mobility and lack of access to service care.
