The Cyprus Third Age Observatory is calling for a Third Age Commissioner with real powers, arguing that no single body is responsible for overall state policy on older people as they face gaps in healthcare, pensions, rehabilitation and long-term care.
Demographic ageing is not simply a social development but a structural change that requires a different response from the state, the organisation’s executive president, Dimos Antoniou, told Phileleftheros.
The worst problem, he said, was that older people had to go through time-consuming procedures that caused them great hardship to secure even what they were entitled to, because services were split across different ministries and state bodies. The result was bureaucratic delays, overlapping responsibilities and inefficient service for a population group that real data showed was growing rapidly.
Powers and staff
“The new institution cannot be merely decorative or passively advisory,” the Observatory said.
It proposes that the commissioner have broad, cross-cutting powers to intervene, carry out checks and take part in shaping policy with the relevant ministries, including Health, Labour and Finance. In the organisation’s view, only executive influence enshrined in law can bring coherence to state policy on older people.
It also wants the post to have the resources and specialist staff it needs, including gerontologists, social researchers, lawyers and data analysts, so that policy rests on evidence and the commissioner can genuinely intervene.
“The question is not if, but when,” Antoniou said, urging the government to table a bill with a clear timetable and an adequate budget, and parliament to pass it regardless of party rivalries.
Health, pensions and care homes
The Observatory points to difficulties and delays in accessing services through the General Health System (GHS), which have been raised from time to time, and to the need for specialised geriatric services and clinics. It also cites access to rehabilitation as a concern, particularly for older people who need organised care after a hospital stay to get back to daily life.
The organisation has called for more effective supervision and inspections of care homes to safeguard both the quality of services and residents’ living conditions. Antoniou also stressed the need for a fully fledged, properly staffed body able to handle cases of abuse, discrimination or neglect effectively.
Money remains a problem for some older people, and the Observatory has repeatedly raised whether pensions are adequate given the higher cost of living.
Antoniou also pointed to needs in social inclusion, accessibility and quality of life. The organisation has highlighted social isolation, loneliness and ageism, insisting that older people be treated as an active part of society rather than simply as recipients of welfare benefits.
