“Social services must be as close to the person as possible – this is important not only for a more convenient daily life, shorter travel to services, but also for the opportunity to participate in community life, maintain contact with loved ones, and be as independent as possible. I am glad that by increasing the accessibility of services, we are creating more places and better quality services focused on individuality and empowering our residents,” says Vilnius City Deputy Mayor Simona Bieliūnė in a press release.
In the capital, two newly equipped day center branches adapted to the needs of people with severe intellectual disabilities have opened – on Birželio 23-osios and Vydūno streets. Taking into account the needs of visitors, ceiling and mobile lifts have been installed in the centers, the premises are adapted for free movement with a wheelchair, conditions are created for visitors’ physical activity, educational, therapeutic activities, rest, and privacy.
Household appliances, kitchens, office and other furniture have been updated in the centers, the fire safety system has been renewed, and electrical installations have been repaired. About 187 thousand euros were allocated for the renovation and adaptation works of the premises of both day centers.
Services provided closer to home
Day social care services include comprehensive assistance tailored to the individual needs of a person – from developing daily and social skills, employment and leisure activities to health care, nutrition, and transport services. This aims to strengthen a person’s independence, ability to participate in daily life, and maintain social connections.
In the new day center branches – in the Naujamiesčio and Pilaitės elderships – these services will be provided to 10 and 12 adults respectively. For some of them, the trip to the new center and back home will take no longer than 15–30 minutes, whereas previously it took up to 2 hours.
A shorter trip to the day center and back home allows visitors to reduce the fatigue of daily travel and spend more time on the services themselves, employment, and communication. By optimizing the provision of day social care services in Vilnius city, efforts will continue to provide them as close as possible to people’s place of residence and in smaller groups to better meet the individual needs of people with disabilities and their relatives.
Greater accessibility of services in the living environment also helps people with disabilities maintain their usual daily routine, connection with family and community, and makes it easier for relatives to balance caring for their loved one with work or other daily commitments. Moreover, this positively affects the behavior and well-being of the center’s visitors.
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“Starting to work in a smaller center, I immediately noticed positive changes in the emotional state of visitors and group dynamics. The group atmosphere became calmer and more positive, visitors feel safer, and their connection and trust in the staff are strengthening.
In the new centers, whose environment resembles a home rather than an institution, visitors are also given more opportunities to independently perform some daily tasks, develop and strengthen skills. Such an environment encourages their responsibility, provides more opportunities to experience success, and feel like full and significant members of the center community,” says social worker Indrė Kolberkytė, working at the day center in Naujamiesčio.
Day social care centers employ social workers, employment specialists, and individual care workers. Specialists in sports, occupational therapy, music therapy, and other fields come to these new branches from other departments on certain days.
Vilnius has 20 day social care centers
Vilnius city municipality operates 15 day centers, where about 260 working-age and about 30 elderly residents of Vilnius receive services.
Currently, there are 44 free places in the day centers, of which 19 are for working-age and 25 for elderly persons. In some day centers, waiting lists have formed due to requests from individuals to receive services specifically in those centers.
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