Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Brankica Janković attended the ceremonial opening of the community care center in Pirot, within the project “Innovative services for the elderly in the local community” implemented by the Serbian Red Cross with partners from Montenegro and Austria, and with the support of the European Union.

Janković emphasized that improving community-based services, including long-term care, formal support and informal caregivers, is the most effective way to respond to the challenges of providing care, which should be accessible to all, sustainable and quality, so that we can have a dignified life without discrimination in our old age. She also stressed the importance of digital inclusion in reducing discrimination and of better intergenerational connectivity. At the same time, the use of various methods and tools, such as cognitive exercises on tablets, is a way to slow down dementia, which is becoming one of the most common diseases today and a challenge for senior citizens and their families, the Commissioner pointed out. She also reminded that special attention was paid to these problems in the Special Report on Discrimination against the Elderly, which was presented in the National Assembly last year.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Sreten Selaković, representative of the Serbian Red Cross Nataša Todorović and Director of the Center for Social Work Pirot Marija Vasić also spoke at the opening.