Day: 18 June 2019

The Monaco Government has presented its National Support Plan for Aging and Dependency Care in the Principality. Among the announcements is the raising of the minimum residency period before public aged care facilities can be accessed.

“Home-based care now concerns 600 seniors in the Principality and the Department of Social Affairs and Health is constantly working to raise the level of quality of service so that home care continues to improve for beneficiaries and their families”, said Didier Gamerdinger, Minister of Social Affairs and Health, during the presentation on Monday 17^th June. He also emphasised the important role that the National Council plays in this field.

Recent efforts include upgrading the rates of self-help benefits, the signing of an agreement with the companies providing personal services, and the issuing of a Sovereign Ordinance making it compulsory for these companies to be officially authorised.

At the same time, a procedure for reporting adverse events has been implemented by the Health Action Directorate and the debate continues on solutions for improving the homes of the elderly.

Meanwhile, a think tank was recently organised with a group of professionals to further improve the link between the city and the hospital so as to avoid successive re-hospitalisations that lead to a loss of autonomy.

With regards to institutional dependency, the government highlighted that the average age of people who are received at institutions is 87 years, and that the Principality currently has 342 places in institutions for dependent elderly people.

Mr. Gamerdinger said that the National Support Plan for Aging and Dependency Care will involve the implementation of the most appropriate responses for various situations in the years to come.

He highlighted the ongoing work on the Résidences du Cap Fleuri and the Hector Otto Foundation located in the Jardin Exotique district, which will bring 150 additional places in the short term and take the total to 492 places.

He also announced the establishment of a new accommodation facility for dependent elderly people on the outskirts of Boulevard du Larvotto.

The Prince’s Government, in consultation with the National Council, has also decided to raise the conditions for prior residence in Monaco, reserving Monegasque public institutions for people who have shared a significant enough time of their lives in the Principality, increasing this period from five to 30 years.

“These actions are part of the high-level objective that the Principality has set itself,” said Mr. Gamerdinger. “The Prince’s Government implements the indispensable means to preserve the excellence and solidarity dimension of our social model.”

This July marks the return of U Sciaratu, the Summer Carnival of the Rock. Featuring joy, confetti and a festive atmosphere, families are encouraged to head to the streets of the old town for some serious family fun.

The event kicks off on Friday 19^th July at 6pm and includes animation stands for children, parades of floats, and street entertainment.

After taking us to Mexico last year, the theme of this, the 9^th edition, is India.

Details are:

• Parade of floats: Place du Palais – Cathedral – Oceanographic Museum – Place de la Visitation – Rue des Remparts – back to Place du Palais
• Musical groups and street entertainment (The Pelooze Family, Brazilian dance, ostrich waders …)
• Animations: return of the inevitable chives and Oscar, balloon sculptors as well as magic workshops
• Sale of confetti, masks and costumes, puppet shows and make-up booths – all that is needed to give the kids an amazing night out.

To close the evening, there will be a DJ for dancing at the Place de la Mairie from 10pm.

Something as simple and festive as a helium balloon is actually very dangerous to sea life and other animals; whale poop is an important part of why we have oxygen to breathe; you can make sponges out of old socks and t-shirts. These are just some of the lessons kids learned last week at Monacology.

Monacology, an annual event celebrating its 15th anniversary, took place at an eco-village in front of Stars N’ Bars on Quai Antoine 1er. Small wooden chalets looked like log cabins and held educational stations where local businesses and organisations taught local children small ways to make Monaco more sustainable.

Many stations focused on a zero waste lifestyle. Square wooden blocks with nails hammered in served as looms for children to make their own Tawashi: sponges made with old socks or T-shirt sleeves. On the final day of the event, kids were treated to a visit by Prince Albert II, who joyfully accepted a Tawashi gift from an admiring student.

The Oceanographic Museum’s ‘Party Without Balloons’ project presented the consequences of balloon releases on biodiversity, especially on sea ​​turtles and birds. Students were invited to think about alternative options that are equally festive and less harsh on the environment. All workshops at the eco village challenge children to think of themselves as a small part of a larger ecological system.

“Without the whales, we would not be able to breathe, because they are the ocean’s fertilizers,” Berit Legrand, Founder of TAF, The Animal Fund, explained. “The way they eat krill, whale poo feeds plankton, who give oxygen to us. Without that cycle, we wouldn’t be able to breathe.”

To help children understand, Berit Legrand included a picture game showing how whales go to the bottom of the ocean to eat krill, tiny shrimp that are very nutritious. The whales swim to the surface to do their business. She explained that whale excrement is the same red color as the krill, and an important food source for the plankton, who take away the carbon dioxide from the excrement and convert it to oxygen.

Children learned about the importance of changing our habits to control our waste and our way of consuming. With the theme ‘Monaco, my sustainable city’, nearly 1,000 students from the Principality developed their eco-citizenship through learning about sustainable living, the importance of preserving coastal environments, and the power of mobilising schools and the community.

More than 30 groups were present, representing the Monaco Government, the Directorate of National Education of Youth and Sports, and local organisations and businesses, all who set up workshops focused on the sustainability commitments of the Principality. The eco village was 100% green and made of wooden chalets provided by the Town Hall which will be reused for at least a decade. Meanwhile, solar panels produced electricity for the village.

“I’m so proud of the environmental leadership that Monaco has taken in the world and the role that Monacology has played for the last 15 years,” said Monacology co-founder Kate Powers. “We can do more, Monaco can do more, but the key is teaching and inspiring the next generation to do even better.”