Institute for Geriatrics and Palliative Care

Institute for Gerontology and Palliative Care, Belgrade is a specialized medical institution referent for extra-institutional (community based) health care of the elderly. The Institute is conceived as a health care establishment for the older adults and implementation of measures for health improvement and prevention of diseases characteristic for this population, including home treatment and nursing, palliative care and rehabilitation of the old people (Law on Health Care of the Republic of Serbia, Article 106). The Institute performs its activities in accordance with the legislation and the National Strategy on Aging, as well as with all other relevant internationally accepted principles and strategies in care of the older adults.

Demographic trends of population aging and the increasing needs for improvement in care for this vulnerable population group resulted in foundation of the, Institute for Gerontology, Home Treatment and Care Belgrade in 1987. In 2007, we changed our name to the Institute for Gerontology, Home Treatment and Care Belgrade, with the City of Belgrade as our founder. The Institute represents educational base for postgraduate studies in gerontology and specialisation in general practice at the University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, and also for the Nursing College in Belgrade.

The Institute, either as a sole organiser or in coordination with other referent domestic or foreign institutions and the School of Medicine at the University of Belgrade, organised many professional conferences, including Modern Geriatrics School, I & II , Yugoslav School for geriatrics and gerontology, educational workshops – Palliative care of the old adults with cancer diseases, Palliative care of the older people, Geriatrics Conference. The Institute also works closely with the NGOs and local self-governments on improving different modes of care for older people, through a large number of trainings arranged for the volunteers and home treatment personnel in Serbia (International Red Cross, Red Crescent, Yugoslav Red Cross, Serbian Red Cross and Belgrade Red Cross, Čovekoljublje, Caritas, IMC, IRC).

We aim to focus on improvement in the community based health care (home care) of the older adults by keeping pace with the latest world practice in this field, through permanent education of all employees and procurement of the state-of-the-art equipment for the best quality of service. We will further work both on building our relations and partnership with all relevant organisations and entities, including the older adults as our equal partners, and developing new services and modes of health care and care for the older adults, which will contribute to higher living quality of the old people.