Previous governments had allocated less than five million euros per year to the development of homes for the elderly. Due to their (non)actions in this area, we have not gotten any new homes for the elderly since 2005. However, under the current government, the field of care for the elderly is a priority for the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. Namely, the current government has provided budget funds in the total amount of 30 million euros for investments in homes for the elderly in the years 2021 and 2022, as well as allocated 93 million euros in grants to improve the quality of life of the elderly and also provided an additional 59 million euros to build new homes for the elderly, which means we will get additional 850 places for new residents in homes for the elderly.
All elderly people living in homes for the elderly are residing in institutions that were established more than 15 years ago. The last two homes for the elderly were established in 2004 and 2005, in Fužine – a Ljubljana residential neighbourhood, and Tezno – a residential neighbourhood in Maribor, in the Styrian region (Štajerska). But ever since then, only new units or departments have been added to homes for the elderly, and during the mandates of former Minister Anja Kopač Mrak, who was in office for 2010 days, less than five million euros a year were allocated for homes for the elderly. It was similar during the government of Marjan Šarec, when Ksenija Klampfer was the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. “In the last ten years, not a single home for the elderly has been built,” said Danijel Krivec, the leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) parliamentary group, at one of the recent sessions.
Approximately 18,800 Slovenian elderly people live in 102 homes for the elderly, of which 59 are publicly owned, and 43 are concessional. During the times of the left-wing governments, the parties in charge only allocated funds for various studies that researched how to solve the problem of the elderly. “Today, new homes for the elderly are finally being built, or at least the funds have already been provided for dozens of new homes for the elderly or for the modernisation and expansions of the ones we already have. Meanwhile, the left-wing governments only spent tens of millions of euros on studies in this area alone. The left-wing governments also took more than ten years to write the Long-Term Care Act,” Krivec also said.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Cveto Uršič, Msc, emphasised that the field of care for the elderly is currently a priority at the ministry. In just 370 days of being in office, the current government has provided budget funds for investments in homes for the elderly in the years 2021 and 2022, as well as allocated 93 million euros in grants to improve the quality of life of the elderly and also provided an additional 59 million euros to build new homes for the elderly, which means we will get additional 850 places for new residents in homes for the elderly.
The field of care for the elderly is a priority for this government
Minister Janez Cigler Kralj also pointed out that the field of care for the elderly has been very neglected in the last decade. Long-term space shortages, technically inadequate conditions, staff shortages – all this made it difficult to prevent and control the spread of covid-19 in nursing homes, which were hit the hardest among the first wave of the epidemic. “That is why, right from the beginning of my term in office, I have made the field of care for the elderly a priority. I am happy and very satisfied that we have made great progress in getting the aforementioned challenges under control, and we also provided 93 million cohesion funds from the React-EU initiative in order to meet these challenges, which will be received by select applicants after the call is completed,” said minister Cigler Kralj regarding the announced recipients of the funds.
Recipients by region are:
- The South-East region (jugovzhodna): 3 (Črnomelj Home for the Elderly, Metlika Home for the Elderly, Novo mesto Home for the Elderly)
- The Upper Carniola region (gorenjska): 2 (Dr Franceta Bergelja Jesenice Home for the Elderly, Kranj Home for the Elderly)
- The zasavska region: 2 (Polde Eberl Jamski Izlake Home for the Elderly, Tisje Home for the Elderly)
- The Central Slovenia region (osrednjeslovenska): 2 (Ljubljana Vič Rudnik Home for the Elderly, Ljubljana Bežigrad Home for the Elderly)
- The Savinja region: 2 (Adult Residential Care Home in Velenje, Šmarje pri Jelšah Home for the Elderly)
- The Gorizia region (goriška): 1 (Ajdovščina Home for the Elderly)
- The Coastal-Karst region (obalno-Kraška): 1 (Coastal Nursing Home Koper)
- The Mura region (pomurska): 2 (Rakičan Home for the Elderly, Lendava Home for the Elderly)
- The Drava region (podravska): 1 (Ptuj Home for the Elderly)
- The Carinthia region (koroška): 2 (Koroški dom Home for the Elderly – 2x)
As Cigler Kralj also pointed out, Slovenia is characterised by an ageing population, and although these trends have been clear for a while now, the field of care for the elderly has been severely neglected in the last decade. Therefore, the ministry is treating the area of care for the elderly in an integrated and priority manner. “During my term in office, we have been intensely preparing and implementing projects that will provide more places in homes for the elderly, as well as strengthening projects that will improve living standards, including co-financing investment projects aimed at ensuring a friendly and safe living environment for the residents of the homes for the elderly,” Minister Cigler Kralj also highlighted.
The subject of the recent public tender was the co-financing of investment projects aimed at providing a friendly and safe living environment for users of social services in the event of an outbreak of a coronavirus epidemic or other infectious disease epidemic. The tender was aimed at resolving critical situations, covering gaps and ensuring appropriate standards in existing social welfare institutions, and supporting the de-institutionalisation process.
An e-care project will also be launched in mid-April
Among other things, the government is also working to ensure that the elderly can continue living at home for as long as possible. To this end, an e-care project will be launched in April. The project will run nationwide and will involve 5,000 elderly, disabled and chronically ill people. It will provide them with a 24-hour connection with the assistance centre or medical staff, as well as the organisation of assistance.
The users will be able to call the assistance centre for help by simply pressing the button on the security phone that will be installed in their homes, or by pressing the call button for help on the bracelets they will always have with them. In addition to the bracelet, the users will also receive a mobile motion detector on a pendant, which will also have a special button with which they will be able to trigger a call for help, and the detector will also automatically detect a fall and trigger a call to the assistance centre by itself.
Sara Rančigaj
