The complex in Novska will be built following the model of similar neighbourhoods in other countries.
The town of Novska, some 100 kilometres southeast of Zagreb, does not have any accommodation available for the elderly, and there are many retirees who need accommodation, which is demonstrated by a long list of people from Novska who are waiting for a place at a retirement home in nearby Sisak, reports Večernji List on May 16, 2017.
Vlado Klasan, the current mayor of Novska, who is running for re-election, has presented a project of a retirement complex, modelled on some European countries and on the United States. There are no similar complexes currently in Croatia at all.
“This is not just a pre-election campaign move. We have already selected the location and we have included the complex in the urban zoning plan of Novska. The complex for retirees is conceived as a town within the town, as a town for the elderly. The homes could accommodate one, two or three persons, and the first phase would include accommodation for up to 300 people. We also expect people from Zagreb coming here, given that there is a seven to ten year waiting list for accommodation in retirement homes in the capital”, said Klasan. The town will subsidise accommodation for pensioners and the elderly from the Novska area, while those from other regions would have to pay the full price.
“The complex is designed to make life of those living there as similar as possible to the life they're used to in their homes, with additional care provided by medical, physiotherapy and auxiliary staff. At the beginning, we expect to have some 30 employees. The plot is large and there is enough room for at least 1,000 individuals, but the first phase would be based on 300 people, while the rest of the complex will be built in phases, with about a hundred new beds in each phase,” explained Klasan.
The complex will have a medical service, a large social gathering hall, a restaurant, and a chapel. The whole complex is planned to be constructed without stairs, elevations or physical obstacles, in order to be fully adapted to making the lives of the elderly easier. The necessary money for the investment is expected to come from European Union funds.
“We would not give private companies the right to manage the complex. That would make the stay considerably more expensive. There are funds from which such facilities can be funded,” added Klasan.
His opponent in the elections, Marin Piletić (HDZ), presented his own solution for accommodation for the elderly. He wants to use one of the existing buildings in the town and turn it into a retirement home.
