Elderly in rural Lithuania face isolation, poverty, and leaky windows – some see Vilnius for the first time at 80

Many elderly residents in Lithuania’s rural regions live in isolation, struggling with poverty, drafty homes, and a lack of basic care, according to Giedrė Šedbarienė, head of the charity Namai visiems (Homes for All). For some, a trip to the capital becomes a life-changing event—one 80-year-old woman wept upon seeing Vilnius for the first time, LRT.lt reports.

The organisation, founded in 2013, began as a small volunteer group serving hot soup to low-income residents in the Šakiai district. Over time, it expanded into a broader support network, offering food, clothing exchanges, home assistance, temporary shelter, day social care, and housing services. Today, it operates in Šakiai and Jurbarkas, aiming to help seniors and people with disabilities remain in their homes rather than move to care institutions.

Šedbarienė describes the harsh realities of rural elderly life: some homes lack running water or heating, while others are nearly inaccessible, reachable only via dirt roads, forests, or fields. “No matter how difficult their living conditions, people who have spent 80 years in their own homes want to die there—it’s deeply important to them,” she said.

Loneliness is another critical issue. Many seniors outlive their children or have family living far away, leaving them with no regular visitors. Namai visiems staff and volunteers often become their only human contact. “Our visits might be the only help they receive. Our volunteers are sometimes the only people who ever come to see them,” Šedbarienė explained.

Death is a frequent part of the team’s work. Staff occasionally arrive to find a client has passed away alone at home. “It’s painful that they died alone, but we take comfort in knowing they didn’t lie there for weeks or months unnoticed,” Šedbarienė said. The organisation’s priority is ensuring no one feels abandoned.

To combat isolation, Namai visiems runs a seniors’ club where participants engage in activities like sports, computer classes, and shared meals. These gatherings foster a sense of community—some attendees, like two women who met at a lunch table, have since become close friends. For many, even a simple outing, such as a theatre visit or a trip to Vilnius, becomes a rare and emotional highlight.

“They wait for each other by the staircase, dress in their favourite blouses, tie their scarves, and go together—it’s a real event for them,” Šedbarienė said.