“The more often we talk about the problems faced by elderly people, the more clearly we understand what a terrible situation they are in now”

“The more often we talk about the problems faced by elderly people, the more clearly we understand what a terrible situation they are in now”

Onat Ekinci was born in Turkey but lived most of his life in Canada. He is currently studying to become a social worker in Montreal, where he volunteers at local social service centers🙌
Onat interacts with different categories of people: children, elderly people, people without a permanent residence, people with drug dependence. He is interested in trying different directions because he has not yet decided where he would like to work after university.

Onat says that he always tries to help where it is most needed. At home, he usually works in the most difficult areas of the city — a kind of challenge to test himself and learn something new. The trip to Ukraine also became a kind of challenge for him.

Onat points out that Canada is a country of migrants. It affects elderly people. If they want to socialize, they do it “among their own people” — Britons with Britons, Congolese refugees with Congolese refugees. This means that the circle of communication is very narrow, and sometimes it is completely absent. So a social worker is an extremely important person in terms of communication.

“Older people really face a lack of communication.”

Also, as Onat says, another problem has recently arisen – seniors become homeless people. Their small pension is not enough for everything they need. Because of this, they may even lose their home. Social services in Canada struggle with finding them a new home or a room because the government is constantly cutting the budget of this sphere.

Onat was interested to see how elderly people are supported in Ukraine. He has already managed to take part in the delivery of food packages, and also recently visited our tea party for seniors in Kyiv.

— Starenki is doing a great job helping lonely elderly people with their needs in these economically challenging times. What I remember most was how touchingly one of the volunteers spoke to the seniors. Even without understanding Ukrainian, I felt the warmth and sincerity of their conversation, the volunteer shares.

We are glad that even foreign citizens care about the lives of seniors in Ukraine. This once again proves the main thing: everyone from any corner of the world can join good deeds!)