Seniors in Latgale are reluctant to leave their homes despite growing care needs
Elderly residents of Rēzekne and Augšdaugava municipalities, whose health makes daily life harder, want to stay in their own homes. LSM's Latgale newsroom has gathered their stories in a series on old-age care.
Even when their health no longer allows them to manage on their own, seniors in Latvia's eastern Latgale region are in no hurry to leave their homes. Their experiences are covered by the Latgale newsroom of LSM, Latvia's public media, in the series "Latgales faili – Rindā uz vecumdienām" (Latgale Files – Waiting in Line for Old Age), which looks at residents of Rēzekne and Augšdaugava municipalities.
Living in a small bathhouse with animals
In Rēzekne municipality, 85-year-old Lucija lives in a small bathhouse with two dogs and a cat. It is cold there in winter, and getting firewood takes strength, but she does not want to move to an apartment, where she would have neither her garden nor her pets. For now she will stay put.
Home care and a place in a nursing home
In Augšdaugava municipality lives 87-year-old Irēna, who has difficulty moving around because of health problems. For about two years, mobile care workers have helped her wash, tidy her home and bring necessary groceries. Irēna has applied to a nursing home and has been offered a place, but she was not ready to move this summer. She wants to spend one more winter in her apartment.
Social worker Sanita Tauriņa explains that the local authority tries to provide care at home. If a person can no longer be cared for safely that way, living in a social care centre is discussed with them.
What it costs
A nursing home in Latgale costs from just under 800 to nearly 1,500 euros per month. 85% of the senior's pension goes toward the fee, but that is usually not enough. The remainder is covered by a provider of support, such as a relative, or by the local authority.
Both women are aware that a time may come when their own strength and the help of caregivers will no longer be enough.
