19 September, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. A forum for senior citizens will be held for the first time in the Vitebsk region, the Vitebsk regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society informed a BELTA correspondent. The event will take place on 28 October in the Novka settlement of the Vitebsk district. Approximately 250 people will participate. These will include representatives of district and city executive committees, veterans' councils, BRCK organizations, employees of the social protection and healthcare systems, BRSM members, as well as participants of initiative groups and clubs for the elderly established within the city and district BRCK organizations. Within the framework of the forum, people of "golden" age will share their experiences in projects related to employment and leisure organisation, promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and mutual assistance. Mini-projects such as "Rodnik" (Sennensky district), "Dom bez odinochestva" (Dubrovno), "Dobrobyt" (Vitebsk district), and "Adradzhenne" (Lioznensky district), implemented with funds from the Consortium of the Austrian, German, and Swiss Red Cross societies, will be presented to the participants. "Each of them allows elderly people to feel needed and encourages active participation in public life," specialists noted. The forum will also address issues of population aging, maintaining the health of the elderly, and their opportunities for participation in society. Representatives of the Pskov Red Cross organization (Russia) will share their experience in working with the elderly. All these issues are relevant for the Vitebsk region, as 24% of its population are elderly individuals, the organisation added. -0-

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