A new report from the National Organization of Pensioners (PRO) states that there are major shortcomings in how Sweden's civil preparedness and total defence include the elderly and pensioners.
Among other things, shelters are lacking at many retirement homes, and in other places they are inaccessible.
The report also shows that a number of municipalities and regions do not have clear plans for the elderly with home care, mobility services and special housing in times of crisis or war.
"We have concluded that a lot is missing," says PRO's chairwoman Åsa Lindestam.
Pensioners' Council
PRO has a number of demands for change. Among other things, it calls for statutory preparedness requirements for private care providers, and the upgrading and planning of shelters adjacent to nursing homes.
So-called pensioner councils are also being called for.
The councils are intended to strengthen the dialogue between pensioner organizations and municipalities, and give older people greater influence over what preparedness in a crisis or war would look like.
"Many municipalities lack a pensioner council. I wish it were legal to have a council at all levels," says Lindestam.
Västerås good example
One municipality that has clearly invested in crisis preparedness for the elderly is Västerås, which, among other things, has a pensioners' council.
Johan Ahlström is a crisis engineer in the municipality.
"Generally speaking, we have a good dialogue with the council. We collect their needs. We have invited them to exercises; we talk about how to prepare and about what their responsibilities are and what we do."
"I believe we are the municipality in Sweden that has the most safety points per capita (places where you can get information, get food, charge your phone, call 112, etc.). We have also prepared two hotels in Västerås that would become evacuation accommodation for the elderly if there were a major heating outage."
Volunteer group
In Västerås there is also a volunteer emergency response group that is ready to help in crisis situations.
"Today there are around 120 people in the group. When we recruit, we take those who are subject to full military service, so the age range is 16-70 years. But we have several who are over 70 in the group; they have knowledge and experience," says Mikaela Vahlström, strategist responsible for the group.
There are currently 2.3 million pensioners in Sweden, according to the Swedish Pensions Agency. The number is expected to increase over the next ten years.
