Background information about dementia and home care services
Home help services were originally developed on a small scale by
the Greek Red Cross and other voluntary associations such as the
Church. The Greek Red Cross also provides training to
volunteers, including training in nursing skills and personal
care. Nowadays, there are many organised agencies providing home
care services but this is in the private sector and they are not
supervised by the State. Some local authorities provide home
care services but such services are not provided uniformly
throughout the country. This is further complicated by a lack of
available information on entitlement and availability of
services. The majority of older people continue to live at home
either with their families or alone. Families play a key role in
providing care for which they receive no direct support from the
State. However, in the last two decades the State has taken
measures to increase community care services for older people so
that they can remain in th