Report poor home care, Riga officials say

People who receive home care have the right to assess its quality and demand that the service be provided properly, LSM’s 4. studija television programme reported.

Riga resident Olga Joņina began receiving home care in 2020 after a fall left her confined to bed. Over the years, she has dealt with several caregivers from different service providers, including some whose work she considered inadequate.

“I say that the laundry needs to be washed. She says: ‘Put the laundry in the washing machine, wash it, and I will come tomorrow and hang it up.’ But I am bedridden,” Joņina said.

She said another caregiver told her she could visit only from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. because she had to collect her child from kindergarten.

Joņina later received care from a diligent and attentive caregiver for a year. However, after her income increased, she no longer met the conditions for a home care service paid for by Riga Municipality. She has now signed a contract for individual care, allowing her to choose the assistance she needs at home.

Joņina said she was still unsure whether she could reprimand a caregiver for careless work or for imposing personal rules.

Riga Municipality finances several types of home care, including traditional care, in which a caregiver assists a person at home, and individual care, in which the client can choose a suitable provider.

Organisations that provide the service have contracts with the municipality that also specify how many caregivers are needed to ensure adequate care. Clients have the right to report cases in which this does not happen to both the service provider and the Riga Municipality Welfare Department.

“If we establish that care was provided in excess or, conversely, was not provided in full as determined by the municipality, and reports were submitted for it, the money is reclaimed from the service provider,” the department said.