Almost 90,000 elderly people and persons with disabilities receive social services at home in Belarus

In Belarus, social workers provide home-based services to 89.3 thousand incapacitated elderly people and persons with disabilities of groups I and II, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection informed a BELTA correspondent.

Every third recipient of home-based social services is over 80 years old. The majority of those receiving home-based services are rural residents, including those living in remote, sparsely populated villages. Among the regions of the republic, Minsk Oblast traditionally leads in the number of people receiving home-based services (21.8 thousand people). The lowest number is in Minsk (3.2 thousand people), which is due to the developed infrastructure in the capital.

The provision of home-based social services (purchasing and delivering food, medicines, and essential goods; cleaning residential premises, organising hot meals at home; paying for utility services, etc.) is the most in-demand form of social care.

The Ministry explained that home-based social services are provided both on a paid basis (full or partial) and free of charge. Low-income single incapacitated individuals whose per capita income is below 100% of the subsistence minimum budget per capita, effective on the date of application for social services (since August 1, the SBM is set at Br197.57), are eligible for free home-based social services. Those whose per capita income does not exceed 200% of the SBM (Br395.14) are served on a partial payment basis (60% of the social service tariff for individuals, 50% of the tariff for each family member). Home-based social services are provided to other incapacitated individuals on a full payment basis (80% of the social service tariff for each family member).

Hourly tariffs for state-guaranteed social services provided by territorial social service centres are established by regional executive committees and the Minsk City Executive Committee. They are significantly lower than their cost price (18-25%). For example, the hourly tariff for social services in Brest and Grodno Oblasts is set at 55 kopecks, in Vitebsk, Minsk, and Mogilev Oblasts - 50 kopecks, in Gomel Oblast - 49 kopecks, and in Minsk - 48 kopecks.

As of July 1 of the current year, 2.4% of recipients of these services were served free of charge, 17.3% were served on a partial payment basis, and 80.3% were served on a full payment basis. It should be noted that approximately 2,000 people received social services at home on a gratuitous basis or on a partial payment basis as an exception, by decision of local executive and administrative bodies.

Home-based social assistance departments are established within the structure of all territorial centers for the social services of the population (Territorial Centers for Social Services of the Population operate in each administrative district of the republic).

News of Belarus (BELTA)