The President of the Government opened today the new Elderly Support Unit of Jesus Maria José Shelter on Terceira Island, an example of the elderly support policy that includes ongoing investments throughout the Region amounting to more than 15 million Euros.
 
"This is an investment over 2.2 million Euros that will serve more than 50 users," assuring them with all the comfort, convenience and safety conditions, said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
At the opening of this new infrastructure, located in the city of Angra do Heroísmo, the President of the Government pointed out that more than a dozen investments are currently taking place in the renewal or construction of infrastructures for the elderly on several islands.
 
"If we take into consideration, for example, the Regional Pension Supplement and the support for the purchase of medicine by the elderly (COMPAMID), we have a set of measures that serves the purpose of creating the conditions for the Region to implement support measures for the elderly," said the President of the Government.
 
In his speech, Vasco Cordeiro also stressed that the social policy in terms of support infrastructures and measures is only possible through partnerships between public entities and private institutions working in this area.
 
"In the Azores, there are more than 250 entities that, through this partnership, ensure more than 700 services that cover all social intervention areas," stressed the President of the Government. According to him, this cooperation "is the major strength of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in terms of social solidarity."
 
After emphasising the contribution of the workers of institutions that provide these responses on a daily basis, Vasco Cordeiro added that the Azorean Government is also working on new approaches on elderly support in order to ensure that, within the reach of our possibilities, they remain in the comfort of their environment.
 
"This is one of the ways in which we have developed a thorough work, for example, through the remodelling of the home care network and the definition of the Statute on the Support to Informal Caregivers," said the government official.
 
According to the President of the Government, investments in infrastructures as well as the various measures to support the elderly are a "duty of generational gratitude as those who benefit today from this type of infrastructures are those who have contributed to the development and progress of our Region at several levels and in the most varied professions."