Estonia needs to address the poverty risk of its elderly
While Estonia has made a great progress in many fields over the years, there are still also many shortcomings – and the number of socially excluded seniors is one of them.
The Estonians who have lived in wealthy Western countries, know the difference – whereas in Germany, for example, it is a common scene to see older people enjoying life and having fun in bars and restaurants, it is a rather rare picture in Estonia. It’s more common to see rather sad-looking older people in shops and markets, where their attention span is fixed at the latest discount prices or bargains.
Difficult history plays a major role – some of the most disadvantaged Estonians are the ones who were in their middle age or older during the turbulent times in the late 1980s and early 1990s – before and after the restoration of independence in 1991. Many had savings in worthless Russian rubles that lost its value fast during those years and, soon, accounted for nothing.
Read more @Estonian World
