Visit to the Paralympic and World Bocce Champion, Anna Dedawho joined the programpersonal assistant“, – said the prime minister in the morning. Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“The Personal Assistant program has been a breath of fresh air. For me, this is something unrealistic, because my mother suffered for so many years,” Anna said, and as soon as Kyriakos Mitsotakis crossed the threshold of her house, she told him: “I want to show you my medals. In total, in my opinion, 14. These are only international medals.”

The Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction. As he told the young athlete: “I am very glad that we did what we said. And you have a personal assistant, and I’m already happy to see that you have a very good relationship. And I know how important this is for you and for the thousands of disabled people who need this help, not only for you, but especially for your family. So that your mom can rest a little more, feel that there is another person who loves you and cares about you, and this is a very important relief so that you can do many more things too.

“It’s a parent’s concern. I mean, we’ll ‘leave’ at some point and what will happen to our children. So yes, it was a respite for us as parents. To be able to prepare food in advance at noon. Because we always cooked in the evening, because they left for training early in the morning. Now everything is in order, ”she said. Anna’s mother.

“It’s great to start the program. We still have work to do, of course, we want to expand it by another 1,000 people in the region. We start with the first 1000 in Athens. I would like to remind you that the pilot program is funded by the Recovery Fund. I say this because it is a very good example of how the European money that we provided for the country ends up having a very important social value. And they faced a chronic problem that no one has been able to solve so far,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “Among what we have done for people with disabilities, there is still a lot to be done,” he added.

Together with their personal assistant, Elena, Anna and the Prime Minister walked around the area before heading to Alsos PagratiouAnna’s favorite place.

During their discussion, it was noted that the program is also an opportunity for people who want to work as personal assistants. “The truth is that this is a good solution for a new world that does not work,” Elena said. “Based on my own experience, I don’t think it’s something no one else can do,” he added.

“I’m glad you’re saying that. Because one of the difficulties we saw in the program was that there’s still not that much interest in potential personal assistants. Obviously, stakeholders are interested in having a personal assistant, yesterday That’s why your own experience is so important, but I’m sure as candidates become familiar with the program, they realize that this can be a good opportunity for them, but above all to build very beautiful relationships like those that you are developing, and to do something really good for the people themselves who need a personal assistant, but mainly for their families,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized, adding that only in the first stage, “1000 personal assistants are provided, therefore, 1000 jobs”.

Program ID “Personal Assistant”

The “Personal Assistant” program is aimed at ensuring the independent life of citizens with disabilities and their equal participation in all economic, social, political and cultural activities without discrimination and exclusion.

The personal assistant, who receives special training within the framework of the program, individually supports the recipient of assistance in his daily life in accordance with his needs. In this case, the family of the disabled person is released, which under other circumstances would be fully responsible for his maintenance.

Eligible citizens are assessed by three-person special commissions, which include social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists or psychologists. Based on the judgment of the evaluators, taking into account the conditions and characteristics of each candidate, a decision is made whereby each beneficiary is awarded an amount of money and corresponding hours of individual assistance per month, according to their needs. Personal assistants receive payment for their work directly from OPECA.

Beneficiaries have the opportunity, after passing the assessment, to look for a trained personal assistant on a special electronic platform where interested persons are registered.

The program is currently in its first phase of piloting in Attica, where it will reach 1,000 beneficiaries. In the second pilot phase, which will start in May, it will be extended to the rest of the country, covering an additional 1,000 beneficiaries. Already 177 citizens have decided to join the program, and 50 of them have already found personal assistants.

The rollout of the Personal Assistant is planned for 2025 with funding from the NSRF, and the pilot implementation budget is fully integrated into the Recovery and Resilience Fund.

Persons with a disability between the ages of 16 and 65, regardless of disability category, with a verified disability rate equal to or greater than 67%, are eligible to participate in the program.