Mobile units made up of a nurse, a social worker and a carer will visit older people at home free of charge under a government programme due to start on 1 January 2027, beginning with a pilot in the mountain villages of Limassol district. The plan, which is almost ready, comes as Cyprus’s population ages.
Nearly one in five residents is now over 65, and about 30,000 older people face serious limitations in daily life because of health problems. Life expectancy exceeds 82 years, but healthy life expectancy averages 66 years.
Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Tina Pavlou told Phileleftheros that the plan was designed to meet exactly these needs. “Our aim is: ‘No one alone’,” she said. She said holding the hand of someone who is alone and offering a kind word were also needs that everyone had. “Emotional health is a neglected area that we need to open up,” she added.
The pilot will be run by the Estia Centre, an organisation with many years’ experience in caring for older people, which already has the staff and infrastructure needed. The choice of the Limassol mountain area reflects needs the organisation has already identified there.
Social workers
Social workers will play a central role, assessing each person’s needs and guiding them to the services they require. In practice, they are meant to act as a kind of Citizen Service Centre (KEP) at home, linking residents with the relevant services and even filling in applications and official forms for them, so that those who struggle to get around do not have to seek help with basic procedures. Families will also be advised on where to turn and what support is available.
Nursing and practical care
Nurses will visit and provide care depending on each person’s health, in consultation with their treating doctor. The plan provides for links with both personal and specialist doctors where necessary. The extent of nursing care will depend on what each person actually requires and will not be limited to a standard visit.
Carers will handle practical daily tasks, such as looking after the home, arranging food and other jobs residents cannot manage alone. The programme also provides for transport to and from healthcare facilities for those who have difficulty getting there. Services such as meal preparation, where the need is permanent, will be provided either directly or through partnerships with other organisations.
Unit staff will also be able to train domestic carers who already look after older people at home, in their own areas of expertise.
Next steps
The first evaluation will take place after three months, and its results will shape decisions on expanding the programme and adding services not included in the original plan. It will also show which needs can be met by existing services and which require further action.
Doctors are not part of the initial pilot, but including them in the mobile units is being studied as a way of offering more complete care at a later stage.
The programme also aims to relieve families caring for older relatives by taking on some of the tasks they currently handle alone. Although it will start with older people, the long-term aim is to extend home services to anyone with mobility difficulties, regardless of age.
