Social emergency service in Estonia's Tartu County used more than 30 times in its first year
A pilot social emergency service in Tartu County, Estonia, has been used more than 30 times since it launched a little over a year ago. Its organisers hope a similar service could eventually operate nationwide.
A social emergency service that has been running in Estonia's Tartu County for just over a year has so far been used more than 30 times. It is a pilot project, and its organisers hope that a similar service may in future be introduced across the whole country, ERR radio news reports.
The project began last August in the rural municipalities of Kastre, Kambja and Tartu, in cooperation with the private company Estkeer. Its aim is to make quality social services at home more accessible and to prevent situations that would later require even greater support and intervention.
Who the service is for
Anne Aleksejev, head of the social services and education department in Tartu rural municipality, says the service is intended for unforeseen cases, including outside working hours. As an example, she cites a client who receives round-the-clock home care: if the caregiver reports being ill, the social emergency service steps in.
Project manager Kadri Nõps stresses that this is a social rather than a medical service. People in need can, for instance, have firewood brought into their home or have someone go to the shop for groceries. Over the year, more than 30 calls came in from the three municipalities.
Nõps describes a typical situation that has recurred several times in recent weeks: a relative calls an ambulance for an elderly person, who is taken to hospital. Relatives are later told the patient is being discharged, but they cannot pick them up. In such cases, the service's staff help the person get home and into bed, make sure everything needed is prepared for the next morning, and explain the doctor's conclusions to the relative providing care.
Differences between municipalities
Kambja says residents used the service less than forecast, because outside working hours people in need mostly managed with help from relatives or neighbours. Kastre recorded about five calls. Iiri Seppink, chief social work specialist at the municipal government, attributes this to information spreading more slowly than expected.
Initially, the client was meant to pay a share, possibly 20% of the real cost. If someone could not pay, the municipality covered it, but at present the service is free for residents.
Tartu rural municipality did not expect many people to use the service but joined the project anyway. Aleksejev notes that organising social services in sparsely populated areas is always a difficult task, so such opportunities are worth using.
The pilot is co-financed by the European Union with half a million euros, and a contribution from the participants is also foreseen. Nõps believes the practical experience gained could be a valuable input into developing a national-level concept for emergency social assistance.
