Kalina Ekova
Alzheimer Bulgaria Association is the Bulgarian partner of Smart Against Ageism (SAA) project who conducted the desk research and the interviews in Bulgaria.
The collected information showed main contexts of age discrimination and fields in which there is a great need for improvements. Besides of ageism in the labour market, in health and social care, and personal and societal age discrimination, the results showed a significant lack of education in the sphere of gerontology in Bulgaria.
All this leads to poorer services for older people and restricted access to job opportunities and social events. There is also a feeling of despair and acceptance of age discrimination as an inevitable part of ageing.
Therefore, there is a need for improvement at all levels of society – personal, societal, and institutional. The SAA project will help raising awareness among the communities about the need for different approach which aims at providing older people with equal opportunities, services and participation in society.
The surveys will be used for the creation of characters and scenes for the SAA game which provides a playful approach towards education about ageism.