Riga care centres have no free places for people with dementia

Riga’s municipal care centres have no vacancies for people with dementia, while waiting lists for care places and municipal co-financing are moving so slowly that some applicants may never receive support, LSM’s programme 4. studija reported.

The municipality has about 600 places across three care centres, approximately 200 of them intended for people with dementia. Around 700 people are currently waiting for a place or municipal co-financing.

Dementia is a disease-related decline in brain function that affects memory, thinking and the ability to orient oneself in everyday life. People with dementia may no longer recognise relatives, become confused, lose track of where they are or where they are going, and be unable to care for themselves.

Such residents require specially adapted facilities. Doors must be lockable so that a confused resident cannot leave and become lost.

Riga’s municipal social care centre Stella maris, a care facility, can accommodate up to 45 people with dementia. Places in its dementia unit usually become available only when a resident dies, making it impossible to predict how quickly the waiting list will move. Four residents of the unit died in the past two months, allowing four people on the municipal waiting list to move forward.

Families regularly call the centre asking about the waiting list, said Agrita Borovika, deputy director of Stella maris. However, the centre does not compile or regulate the list; that is the responsibility of Riga Social Service.

“There is a period when these people live at home. The third or fourth level of care is where they end up, in severe cases when the resources provided by the service and organisations are no longer enough because round-the-clock supervision and support are needed,” said Iveta Kalniņa-Āķe, head of the centre’s social care and social rehabilitation department.