Romania: Information on services available to senior citizens, i.e. pensions, housing, medical care, food; and on whether there is assistance with the basic necessities of life available to elderly women, and whether there are residences for seniors needing care
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ROM20630.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Romania: Information on services available to senior citizens, i.e. pensions, housing, medical care, food; and on whether there is assistance with the basic necessities of life available to elderly women, and whether there are residences for seniors needing care, 1 May 1995, ROM20630.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab4c5f.html [accessed 27 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a letter received by the DIRB from the Embassy of Romania, all Romanians who were once employees are eligible to receive a pension upon retirement (15 May 1995). Those who were never employed, and therefore not eligible to receive a pension, can avail themselves of the "social housing system" if they have no family to support them (ibid.). In addition, retired persons receive free medical care, discounts on some drugs, medicines, transportation, and "accommodation in treatment and tourist resorts" (ibid.). For additional information, please consult the attached letter.
The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio reported in 1993 that children and the elderly need the most help in post-communist Romania (1 Feb. 1993). "Rapid inflation has devalued pensions to the point that retirees are suffering" (ibid.). According to the article, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland was helping to train social workers in an effort to improve social services in Romania (ibid.).
For general information on the conditions faced by pensioners or the elderly in Romania, please consult the attached articles. More recent articles than those attached to this Response could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Embassy of Romania, Ottawa. 15 May 1995. Letter received by the DIRB.
The Plain Dealer [Cleveland]. 1 February 1993. William F. Miller. "CWRU Helps Romanians Establish Social Services." (NEXIS)
Attachments
The Associated Press (AP). 1 October 1993. "Elderly Romanians Feel Let Down By Society, Poll Shows." (NEXIS)
Embassy of Romania, Ottawa. 15 May 1995. Letter received by the DIRB.
The Herald [Glasgow]. 25 January 1993. "Nurse Tries to Help Elderly Romanians." (NEXIS)
The Press Association [UK]. 11 January 1993. "ú500,000 Appeal to Help Eastern Europe's Elderly." (NEXIS)
ROMPRES [Bucharest, in English]. 10 September 1993. "Pensioners Said to Live Under Subsistence Standards." (FBIS-EEU-93-174 10 Sept. 1993, p. 17)
