The village caretaker service, a retention factor

Abstract

As urban dwellers, or simply as people living in a settlement with a larger population, we rarely find ourselves short of the goods that are essential to our daily needs. We take it for granted that there is a wide choice of grocery shops, there is a local pharmacy, a local doctor, and offices are at hand. We have a rich offer of cultural and leisure facilities, and a kindergarten and school for children. At the same time, these basic social functions are often inaccessible to people living in small villages. This is particularly problematic in ageing small communities with social problems, where the lack of a private car and poor public transport links make it almost impossible to live a full life. For them, the village caretaker may be the only way to reduce isolation.