Keeping the wrinkles at bay in the gym in Slovakia; the growing popularity of private nursing homes in Poland; meals on wheels in the Czech capital, and could Slovenia’s ageing population transform the political landscape?

Statistics show that twelve percent of Czechs are now over sixty-five years old. Nothing exceptional about this, but the number will rise significantly when a big group of Czechs who are now in their fifties reaches retirement age, putting a bigger strain on the state budget and on relatives.

As in all of Central Europe the average age in Poland is on the rise. At the same time many young people are holding down two jobs and trying to get ahead in the world. This leaves little time for taking care of the elderly. As Radio Polonia found out, some Poles are breaking away from the traditional extended family and placing their parents in western style private nursing homes.

We've been hearing how Central Europe's aging population is expected to put a strain on budgets and care facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic. But in Slovenia, there's a new twist to this old story. Slovenia has the lowest fertility rate in the entire European Union according to the European Statistics Office. And although the population is slowly increasing due to immigration, the country is undergoing a very noticeable demographic shift. And, this "greying" of Slovenia is expected to bring major changes to the political landscape.

It was comedian Groucho Marx who said: "Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough". But what Groucho didn't say but most doctors stress is that exercise is important if we want to live long enough and to have quality of life. In Slovakia, more and more women are finding that a good work-out in the gym can make them look and feel younger. Katarina Richterova put on her leotards and went to join them:

A couple of years ago Hungary's Interior Ministry and Ministry for Equal Opportunities set up what is known as the "Elderly-Friendly Local Government Award". It goes to towns and villages which do the best job of integrating the elderly into their local communities.