Many do not know how to seek state aid for assistive devices

People who need assistive devices can receive some of them at public expense, but many do not know where to apply, LSM reported, citing the Latvian television programme 4. studija.

Wheelchairs, walking frames, crutches, hearing aids and special mattresses are among the devices that may be available with state support. Rehabilitation centres and assistive-device shops say people often lack information about whether support is available and how to get it.

Elīna Strautiņa, who manages the orthopaedic goods and assistive-device shop at the POC medical centre, said people often do not know where to go or whom to ask. She added that some medical professionals are also unaware that they can prescribe assistive devices.

The Ministry of Welfare said assistive devices fall under both the welfare and healthcare sectors. Some are medical devices regulated within healthcare, while many also serve social needs, said Aldis Dūdiņš, director of the ministry’s Social Services and Disability Department.

Social-sector assistive devices are provided by three organisations: the National Rehabilitation Centre Vaivari, the Latvian Blind Society and the Latvian Association of the Deaf.

People seeking an assistive device should first consult a doctor, who assesses their functional impairments and determines what they need, said Laura Slavinska, a senior physiotherapist at the Riga branch of Vaivari’s Assistive Devices Centre.