A debate on the frail elderly people has recently opened in Belgium, introducing the possibility of considering voluntary "exit from life" as a possible option to solve the financial problem caused by the increase in care needs due to the growth of the elderly population. A law on active euthanasia has already been in place in the country for years.
The Community of Sant'Egidio has reacted in public strong to this very serious assertion of a "culture of discard,". It has organised debates and public events, in Antwerp and other cities in Belgium, that have seen the elderly as protagonists. Sant'Egidio has proposed an alternative model of care, identified in the program "Long Live the Elderly! ", already active in Antwerp: "The program ensures systematic follow-up of all over-80s in a given district, so that early intervention on minor or major problems is possible and in many cases almost automatic referral to a residential care center is avoided. The program successfully involves volunteers who are often over 80!"
