Zaman Bank in Switzerland
Amir Abbas Zaint Bakhsh
A foreign student who went to Switzerland to continue his studies writes: During my studies, I rented a house near the university. The owner of the house was a 67-year-old woman who had retired as a teacher. Pension plans in Switzerland are so strong that retirees have no worries about food.
For this reason; One day I was surprised to find out that he got a job! Caring for an 87-year-old man!
I asked him if he does this for the need of money, his answer surprised me! I don’t work for money, but I deposit my time in the time bank so that when (like this old man) I can’t move, Take it out of the bank!
This was the first time I heard about the concept of time bank! When I researched it further, I found out that Time Bank is a retirement plan for elderly care developed by the Swiss Federal Ministry of Social Security.
Volunteers save the time of caring for the elderly in their personal account in the social security system until their own time; If they are old, incapacitated or need care, take it!
according to the contract; One year after the expiration of the applicant’s services (time deposit), Time Bank calculates the number of service hours and gives him a Time Bank card! When he needs another person’s help, he can use that card; reap the benefits of time. After approval, the bank will appoint volunteers to take care of him in the hospital or at home!
In addition, time deposit applicants must be healthy and fit, have good communication skills and be full of love and affection for fellow human beings!
My landlord went to work twice a week to take care of the old man, and each time he spent two hours shopping, cleaning the room, sunbathing and chatting with him!
By the way, I was in university one day when he called and said that he fell off the stool while cleaning the glass in his room! I immediately took leave and rushed him to the hospital. His ankle was broken and he needed to stay in bed for a while. I was applying for home care leave when he told me not to worry because he applied for time bank withdrawal!
In less than two hours, the Time Bank sent a volunteer who took care of him every day for a month by chatting and cooking delicious food.
As soon as he recovered, he resumed caring for others and said he wanted to save time for his old age!
Certainly, the implementation of such an idea in our country, where the elderly population is close to 10% and is rapidly moving towards 30%!, will not only reduce the costs of insurance and care in the old age, but also strengthen the unity and The solidarity between generations is less seen in other existing financial plans such as nursing homes and home nurses!
The idea of a time bank or bank for the care of the elderly was first proposed and implemented in 2012 in the city of St. Glen, Switzerland, which has the youngest population, and according to a government report, it intends to bring the beautiful rural culture of caring for each other to modern cities; More than half of the young people have welcomed this plan!
The young people’s acceptance of such a plan and their neighborliness, common language and empathy with the elderly; It means the combination of rawness and maturity and gaining a lot of experience for young people, the survival of morals and respect for the principle and roots in the society, and also the lighting of the lamp of hope in the hearts of the elderly.
Channel of thought and movement
This post is written by Aslan2346