The role of the Albinețul Vechi community in age-friendly initiatives began with the implementation of the Aging and Health in 2020 project, implemented by AO CASMED with the support of the Swiss Red Cross. The community concluded a Collaboration Agreement with AO CASMED, following which a Local Coordinating Committee was created in the community, and later a local initiative group, made up mainly of older persons. The members of the Local Coordinating Committee, numbering 12 people, were familiarized with the concept of Age Friendly Community and the eight areas that are the basis of the concept during the training provided by the CASMED specialists. The community understood that a developed community where people are satisfied with their quality of life is a community where all the needs of older persons are covered to the maximum. In order to determine the level of coverage of the needs of older persons, a group of operators made up of members of the local Committee and the initiative group carried out a survey in the locality, the evaluation of which was the basis for drawing up the age component of the Locality Development Strategy on the Friendly Community. Four focus groups with the group of young people, older persons, community service providers and LPA representatives followed, where the real situation and the desired situation regarding the eight domains of age-friendly cities were determined.

At the public hearing attended by over 30 people of all ages, people prioritized the issues, and in a workshop of the members of the Coordinating Committee, the mayor of the locality and several councilors, the socio -economic development strategy of the Albinețul Vechi commune was developed on AFC component. The indicators from the local strategy were introduced in the Action Plan of the Local Committee and the Local Initiative Group. Now for the locality it has become clear who and what tasks it has. The teamwork mechanism was set in motion. LPA is responsible for carrying out actions related to infrastructure development, civic and social participation, and CCL’s role is to monitor all activities, to find solutions, to write requests and approaches to different competent courts, to unite the District Coordinating Committee with the local and LPA in order for the indicators in the action plan to be fully realized. The role of the local initiative group is to determine the problems of older persons in the slums, to draw up the list of older persons who are especially lonely, with disabilities, and/or with a precarious income status.

To implement the AFC concept, Albinețul Vechi commune applies several social services for the benefit of older persons.

• Social workers are active in the locality: 2 workers within the state social service who have 13 beneficiaries on record, 2 medical assistants within the Aging and Health project implemented by AO CASMED, who have 8 beneficiaries on record.
• Older persons are also involved in all local working groups, City Council committees, Village Council.
• The strategic plan for the development of the locality, including the segment of active aging, is developed and approved by the village council (decision no. 5/12 of 10.12.2021).
• In the framework of the general meetings and by sector, problems concerning the interests of older persons are addressed, which along the way, as far as possible, are solved.
• A social canteen is organized for older persons with low incomes and poor health or older persons who are in need (It was active in the period December-March 2020-2021).
• Each institution in the locality has activities with the involvement of older persons included in the activity program, according to the Action Plan regarding the implementation of the Age-Friendly Community Development Strategy (AFC).
• For older persons and those with special needs, socio -medical home care services, the mobile team, were established.