Special-care waitlist may outlast applicants’ lives

More than 2,000 people are waiting for special-care services in Estonia, and some may never receive a place in their lifetime, ERR reports. The system faces a chronic shortage of funding, while the government has not yet said how much of next year’s planned increase for social and health services will go to special care.

Alex, 19, has a profound disability and needs round-the-clock care. Born extremely prematurely, he suffered severe brain damage and needs help with everyday activities such as eating and dressing.

His mother, Merje Liiv, said she cannot even do household chores while caring for him because he needs her constant attention. Alex has epileptic seizures and becomes tired if he remains in one position, she said, adding that she must monitor him both physically and mentally.

The family expected Alex to enter special care after finishing school. The services are intended mainly for people with severe mental health disorders or intellectual disabilities who cannot get the help they need through other social welfare measures. But the family was told Alex’s needs were too complex for the service.

Liiv said the decision left the family feeling insecure. She said it was painful that the state had been required to take Alex’s needs into account while he was of compulsory school age, but that he was effectively left out of the system once that obligation ended. His local municipality has assigned him a personal assistant who visits on weekdays.

Ragnar Vaiknemets, chairman of the board of Hoolekandeteenused, said people joining the special-care waiting list now may not get a place in their lifetime. He said there is no regular assessment of people’s needs and too few places, particularly for autistic people and those with multiple disabilities who may need services for life.

Places are currently allocated primarily according to when someone joined the list, rather than how urgently they need support. A bill under consideration by the parliamentary Social Affairs Committee would require the queue to take people’s actual need for services into account.

Special care needs an additional 200 million euros over the next four years, while the draft budget provides 37 million euros more for the entire social and health sector. The amount earmarked for special care has not yet been announced. The next year’s state budget has passed its first reading in parliament, with opposition parties seeking additional funding for the services.

In a landmark ruling this spring, Estonia’s Supreme Court said the state must ensure a place in a special-care home for anyone who needs one and must not leave applicants in an endless queue.