The following is written by Anton Osoinach, whom, with his family, works with Hopes for Others in Arad, Romania. Anton and his family, due to their day-to-day interaction with the people, have an insight to the needs there that most of us never know:
I find (after four years of working in both the nursing homes and with people that still live in their own homes) that the single desire of most of these people is for someone to be interested in them. I have seen that a high percentage of the people in this older age group are abandoned by their families and have little or no contact with their children or extended families. There is not a need for more workers, but there is a need for people that Romanians call social assistants or Social workers – people that will take time each week to visit the people. Should you care to be a part of this, the cost would be approximately $250 – $300 per month, with a six month commitment.