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8 Facts About Elderly Poverty in Greece

Elderly Poverty in Greece
Elderly poverty in Greece is growing at an alarming rate. The government has been unable to address this issue. As a result, nonprofits are stepping up to alleviate some of the burdens carried by the elderly. Here are eight facts about elderly poverty in Greece.

8 Facts About Elderly Poverty in Greece

  1. Austerity Measures on Relief: Recent government measures in the past two decades have resulted in lower pensions for senior citizens. Pensions greater than 1,000 euros became continuously cut throughout the years, with pension bonuses completely removed from government-provided relief. This has led to serious challenges for seniors. Many had retired or were close to retiring when these changes were implemented. As a result, there was no time for seniors to adjust their savings plans or extend their careers.
  2. Poverty Often Increases with Age: Seniors above the age of 75 are more likely to experience poverty than seniors ages 55 to 75. This is often due to health issues and medical expenses. Additionally, for many seniors, retirement savings are difficult. For individuals who are already struggling with poverty or who are living frugally, there is little room for retirement savings. Those who do save for retirement do not end up saving enough to live in an increasingly expensive world. When health issues also arise, they create unexpected medical bills that may not be covered completely by health insurance. In some cases, seniors do not even have health insurance to help with financial burdens.
  3. Lack of Immediate Support: Most seniors don’t have years to wait for policy change or government action to address poverty; they require assistance immediately. Finding the funding and resources to do this requires more than just government attention or even NGO attention. The issue can only be solved by joint action by the government, NGOs and other global poverty organizations.
  4. Increased Cost of Living: Most households calculate the absolute least amount they have to spend per month to be near 1,500 euros. Unfortunately, this is quantified as higher than what the government considers “extreme poverty.” As a result, there are many in the elderly population that need food assistance and other forms of relief but do not qualify. To solve this problem, the government must re-evaluate its criteria for aid.
  5. Rising Healthcare Costs: As seniors age, many begin to face health issues. Some possess health insurance; however, this does not guarantee that there will be no costs. Rather, it subsidizes some costs. Seniors face the challenges of affording medicines, treatments, hospital visits and routine checkups to keep up with physical health. Furthermore, seniors are more likely to undergo medical tests for symptoms that could be suggestive of other issues due to their age. This means potentially ordering numerous expensive tests that don’t lead to a diagnosis.
  6. The Need for Increased Pensions: Increased pensions will most directly help reduce elderly poverty in Greece. The current amount the elderly in Greece receive from their pensions is too low for a secure standard of living. The Greek government has tried to address this issue many times but has yet to find a successful plan in altering the pension. Instead, pension benefits have been cut, value-added tax has not been raised and the entire issue has been swept under the rug.
  7. Government Struggles: Greece has had difficulties figuring out how to address elderly poverty in Greece. The country currently spends more than any other European country on economic output on retirement funds. Unfortunately, this has been not enough, as the issue goes past just monetary funds. The government should focus on creating support systems for elders and providing better access to affordable healthcare in order to decrease expenses.
  8. Nonprofit Efforts: A prominent nonprofit that has been making strides in addressing elderly poverty in Greece is Caritas Hellas. This organization addresses poverty in Greece, but it has also been successful in helping alleviate some of the burdens of the elderly population. The organization distributes food and clothes and provides services of counseling and educational support to around 300 individuals. Furthermore, the organization works on strengthening family links to set up a lasting support system for the elderly.

The Way Forward

Only after substantive institutional changes have been made will the issue of elderly poverty in Greece decrease. Government officials should work in collaboration with nonprofits in order to address the needs of the elderly and set up long-lasting systems of support and aid to reduce the number of those suffering from poverty.

– Manasi Singh
Photo: Flickr

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Obesity Growing in the Developing World

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The number of overweight and obese people has grown drastically in the past 30 years, going from 23% of the world’s population in 1980 to over a third today.  Surprisingly to some, the majority of overweight and obese people live in developing countries.  As globalization spreads and countries go from low-income to middle-income, people have more money to buy food.  At the same time the access to cheap junk food full of fat, carbohydrates, sugar and salt is becoming readily available.  As food gets tastier and cheaper, families in the developing world are consuming these products and steadily gaining weight.

Sharada Keats and Steven Wiggins from the Overseas Development Institute in London released a report on January 3rd called, “Future Diets.”  This report summarizes research that shows that diets are changing.  As incomes rise in the developing world people are moving from a diet that consists of cereals and tubers to diets that include meat, fat and sugar.

The portion sizes that people are eating are also going up.

These changes mean that the price of animal products will go up all over the world while prices for grains will go down.  The agricultural crisis of not having enough grains to feed the poor may be replaced by a public health crisis as more people move to eating unhealthy diets.

Obesity is increasing throughout the developing world.  Further, reports have noted that obesity has tripled in the developing world in the past 30 years.

Mexico is a good example of how globalization and higher incomes are impacting diets and waistlines of middle-income countries. In 1980, fewer than 40% of Mexicans were overweight or obese. Today that figure is more than 70%.  In 1980 there were 250 million overweight and obese adults in the developing world. In 2008 those numbers have grown to 904 million.

This is a global health concern as unhealthy diets and weight gain put people at a large risk for a wide range of health conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. This is going to place an increased burden on low and middle-income countries with already struggling health care systems.  It will also cause economic difficulties and increased health care costs.

At the moment there seems to be little interest among the public and leaders to take action against the growing obesity problem.  Keats and Wiggins suggest that as countries begin to face the serious health implications and economic problems associated with obesity they may consider investing in public education and policy changes as well.  Conclusively, Keats and Wiggins suggest for a resolution that is a moderate combination of education, prices and regulation measures.

– Elizabeth Brown

Sources: NPR, Overseas Development Institute (ODI), BBC

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Breast Cancer a Threat to the Developing World

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According to a new study by GE Healthcare, incidences of fatal breast cancer have risen in developing countries.

Bengt Jönsson, Professor in Health Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics, and co-author of the report has said, “Breast cancer is on the rise across developing nations, mainly due to the increase in life expectancy and lifestyle changes such as women having fewer children, as well as hormonal intervention such as post-menopausal hormonal therapy. In these regions mortality rates are compounded by the later stage at which the disease is diagnosed, as well as limited access to treatment, presenting a ‘ticking time bomb’ which health systems and policymakers in these countries need to work hard to defuse.”

While significant headway is being made in the prevention of communicable diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, many developing countries do not have the resources to provide treatment for cancer.

Ignorance and the stigma of breast cancer is also a contributing factor. “There is little information for the people who need to be helped,” said Dr. Fred Okuku, of the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, “Only a few know how to read and write. Many don’t have TV or radio. There is no word for cancer in most Ugandan languages. A woman finds a lump in her breast, and cancer doesn’t cross her mind. It’s not in her vocabulary.”

In the United States, about 20 percent of breast cancer patients die from it, compared with 40 to 60 percent in developing countries. While prevention and self screening measures are well known in the United States, misinformation in the developing world has led to an increased risk. A recent survey in Mexico City highlights this, indicating that many women feel uncomfortable or worried about having a mammogram.

Claire Goodliffe, Global Oncology Director for GE Healthcare, has said, “It is of great concern that women in newly industrialized countries are reluctant to get checked out until it is too late. This report finds a direct link between survival rates in countries and the stage at which breast cancer is diagnosed. It provides further evidence of the need for early detection and treatment, which we welcome given current controversies about the relative harms, benefits, and cost effectiveness of breast cancer screening.”

– David Smith

Sources: New York Times