"Home sanatoriums" for the elderly and disabled will appear in the Vitebsk region
This is a new form of rehabilitation and non-drug assistance for the elderly and disabled, reported at the regional executive committee.
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Sanatorium at home is a type of assistance that is not included in the list of generally available services, therefore it is implemented in the region with the help of the volunteer movement. This activity is aimed not at providing drug assistance, but at prolonging the lives of the elderly and improving their quality. The new form of work is being introduced with the support of the healthcare department under a tripartite cooperation agreement concluded between our committee, the public association "Belarusian Republican Gerontological Public Association" and the Research Medical Center "Gerontology" (Moscow)", - explained the head of the department of social support for the population and inpatient institutions of the committee for labor, employment and social protection of the Vitebsk regional executive committee, Vera Astapenko.The principle of work, according to her, is very simple: medics, when visiting the elderly, veterans, and disabled people, in addition to conducting examinations, will also issue a prescription card - a list of recommended procedures or activities (phytotherapy, therapeutic walking, etc.), which will subsequently be carried out with the ward by social workers and volunteers.
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In each territorial center for social services for the population, a regulation on the volunteer movement has already been developed. We have a sample volunteer ID, and their issuance is just beginning. It is important that elderly citizens themselves become volunteer assistants: visitors of day care departments or residents of round-the-clock care facilities, or simply lonely elderly people. For them, this is also a form of activity and rehabilitation", - added Vera Astapenko.The first stage of implementing home-based sanatorium care will be training interested parties. Two groups of social workers, 20 people each from Vitebsk and Novopolotsk, have completed courses on the basics of home care for the elderly and disabled, and rehabilitation for people with specific diseases. This means the focus is on an individual approach. The training program was provided by gerontology specialists. Volunteer training will also begin in the near future.