Welfare Ministry lacks a clear picture of nursing home queues

Latvia’s Welfare Ministry does not have a complete picture of waiting lists for municipal nursing homes, an investigation by Latvian Radio’s Atvērtie faili programme, reported by LSM, has found. Ministry data records waiting lists in only four municipalities.

Latvia has about 111,000 people aged over 80, but nursing homes have places for only around one in ten. Care can also be costly, and the availability of information and financial support varies between municipalities. In most cases, assistance is available to people who can show they cannot afford the costs themselves.

The investigation examined municipal nursing homes. In Riga, a place costs about 50 euros a day, while private homes can charge more. Inguna Raudiņa recently moved her grandmother to a private nursing home after her health declined to the point that she could no longer care for herself.

The report also found that the law makes adult children responsible for paying for their parents’ nursing home care. The ombudsman said families can sometimes face a disproportionate burden. The programme raised questions about how care-home funding is spent and reported that municipal care workers earn, on average, around the minimum wage. Pay limits make their salaries uncompetitive, according to the investigation.

The Welfare Ministry sees raising taxes as a way to address the funding challenges. The investigation examined what changes to the social care system may be needed to ensure dignified old age for people in Latvia.