Gliwice’s 'Handyman for seniors' service enjoys success

Old people in the city got almost 270 free repairs in 4 months

The pilot project of Gliwice, called “Handyman for a senior”, has ended with flying colours. The Polish city announced that for the duration of the project, a great number of local seniors benefited from the free service, saving considerable amounts of money. In particular, between 16 August and 17 December, they called a service man for minor repairs a total of 269 times, saving 41,834.89 Polish zloty or around 9200 euros.

Minor repairs can be particularly difficult for seniors

Minor repairs at home can be quite a challenge for elderly people and sometimes – even impossible to perform. That is why, under the impulse of local senior communities, through the Council of Seniors and senior clubs, the Polish city launched “the Handyman for a Senior” last December.

The service is addressed to lonely elderly people with bad health who can’t rely on their relatives. It allows seniors over the age of 60 to call a specialist over the phone, to help them with minor repairs once a month. The city budget covers the cost of the service and the materials used for the repair up to 30 PLN. The rest, if any, is covered by the senior.

The pilot was obviously very positively accepted by seniors, who used the service 269 times in just a few months. Most often – for faults related to the plumbing system, such as leaking washing machines, taps or boilers.

Likewise, they needed carpentry work, such as adjustment of window joinery, repair or replacement of a lock, installation of a mosquito net, repair of legs on a table or bench, etc. Other people also needed help with electricity issues - replacing sockets, repairing a lamp switch, hanging and connecting a chandelier.

Following these positive results, Gliwice will be continuing the service, which is now part of the Strategy of the Senior Policy of the City of Gliwice for 2021-2025.