Red Tape Hot Box Blocking the elderly and infirm

It's not easy to live in this country if you're handicapped or old - unless you plan to spend the rest of your life at home. However, nobody likes to be permanently grounded. Unfortunately, when the disabled go out they come across many obstacles which limit the possibility of easy movement. The first, and most notorious, obstacle that they have to overcome is uneven sidewalks. An old person has to focus all their attention on the path ahead of them if they want to avoid stumbling every few meters. Then there are stairs, which for many are an impassable barrier. Many government offices and institutions lack wheelchair ramps. Also, underground passages and railway stations lack such conveniences, not to mention elevators. Apart from the modification of old buildings, there is a visible lack of concern for the disabled when building new institutions. A good example is churches. New, beautiful architectural designs are often elevated from the ground so that they seem bigger. The only way to get inside such churches is by flights of stairs. Sometimes they don't even have handrails. Thus, when it's wet or slippery, many older people stay at home while, paradoxically, priests grumble about society becoming less faithful because of low attendances during Sunday mass.

When you ask government officials why so little progress is being made on this matter, as usual, the answer is a lack of money. But the truth is that often the real cause is a lack of will. There is a prevailing belief that pensioners and the handicapped who have problems walking should stay at home and, therefore, there is no point in modifying anything. Thus, justifying the explanation that there are no means for financing such social investments, even though it is often just a cover up for the prejudice that our society feels toward such people. The EU has offered to fund many projects, but they need cooperation from our side. One example is police stations, which got funding to build ramps for wheelchairs and elevators and so far around 15 percent have been modified. Not a lot, but something. Also, Warsaw's metro has facilities to help descend to and ascend from the subway tunnel. Things are slowly changing, but the biggest barrier lies in our psyches and it will take many years before certain people change their attitudes towards invalids and pensioners...