Many of the elderly face the danger of remainig alone due to the demographic changes, the aging society and the process of migration, the increasing number of those who temporarily or permanently worka broad. Local authorities’ and the social system’s responsibility may therefore increase, as well as the need for home care and nursing homes’ services.

The three parts of the study discuss the demographic changes, the migration process before and after the change of regime, the aging of the Harghita county population, as well as the social system’s reaction to these challenges. It also offers the database of the elderly living in Caritas Alba Iulia’s St. Elisabeth nursing home in Gheorgheni and their relatives living abroad. The issue is discussed on basis of international references on the one hand and of local experiences on the other, emphasizing the services Caritas Alba Iulia offers as far as home care and the St. Elisabeth nursing home is concerned.