Care of the elderly and the young with intellectual disabilities in Old Havana.

The project aims to improve the care system of the elderly and to integrate the young with intellectual disabilities in the Old Town of Havana.

This action will strengthen the already active services promoting sustainable mechanisms and a new management approach based on innovative Italian models particularly those of the social cooperation of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. In the past years the OHCH (Oficina del Historiador de Ciudad Habana) managed to recover buildings, most in need of rehabilitation, in the Old Town. These buildings are destined to host actions of social protection for the most vulnerable groups, opening help centres based on principles such as equity, social sustainability and attention to vulnerable groups, promoting citizen participation. This system, which is deeply dependent on the State, is facing the challenge of becoming sustainable despite the growing number of elderly people, introducing a different management approach (federal and non-federal) including operators (mainly women), relatives, public institutions and civil society organisations.