OCTOBER 1, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE OLDER PEOPLE. ITALY FIRST COUNTRY TO GUARANTEE THE SKILLS OF FAMILY ASSISTANTS WITH THE UNI 11766 STANDARD.
October 1st, International Day of Older Persons. Italy is the first country to guarantee the skills of family assistants with the UNI 11766 standard.
With Resolution 25/106 of 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of Older Persons. The theme chosen this year is: “The resilience of the elderly in a changing world”. The composition of the world’s population has changed dramatically in recent decades. Between 1950 and 2010, life expectancy worldwide increased from 46 to 68 years. Globally, there were 703 million people aged 65 and over in 2019. The East and Southeast Asia region was home to the largest number of older adults (261 million), followed by Europe and North America (over 200 million).
Over the next three decades, the number of older people in the world is expected to double, reaching over 1.5 billion people in 2050.
In the current social structure it is easy to imagine that the figures who take care of the daily well-being of elderly people are increasingly central and will be increasingly so in the coming decades. Selecting competent, professional and reliable operators, to whom we entrust the care of our dearest loved ones within the home is of fundamental importance to reconcile the new needs of life.
The UNI 11766 standard, which came into force on 12 December 2019, concerns around two million workers who carry out family tasks: cleaners, babysitters, carers. We are talking about 2 million workers, a large part unfortunately not regularized, who assist fragile people, such as the elderly, children and the disabled.
Italy is the first country to envisage a path of this kind. This certification allows family carers to find work more easily, as well as receive a higher salary than colleagues without this document.
In fact, obtaining a reliable certification represents a fundamental added value in the job search, since families will know that relying on certified caregivers will mean including a person within the family with knowledge, skills and competences that comply with European standards and verified by a independent third party.
If gentleness, understanding and a willingness to listen are fundamental characteristics for empathizing with elderly people, they are not sufficient to guarantee a level of assistance adequate to the expectations of family members and the dignity that must be guaranteed to the most fragile people.
By turning to a certified professional, the family can rely on a figure whose knowledge is in line with European standards and verified by an independent third-party body, which certifies the knowledge, ability and competence requirements.
Ricec, the value of skills!
