• Why is it so important to help older people?
• How volunteers help older people
• How to help an elderly person at home and in a boarding school
• How you can help older people through social funds

Usually, everyone thinks about how to help older people on the eve of major national holidays - Victory Day or New Year. Volunteers, social security workers, distant and sometimes even close relatives “raid” to the elderly person, give gifts and run away again on urgent matters.

And few people think that attention and sympathy for older people are much more valuable than material gifts. And even for those who are really experiencing financial difficulties. This is especially true for people who are limited to the cramped world of a nursing home or cannot leave their apartment on their own and at least go down to the entrance to communicate with peers. Let's talk about how to help older people?

How to help older people at home

Very often you can help older people with housework - cleaning, doing laundry, buying groceries and medicine, just communicating and caring. But at the same time, helping older people at home can often be especially difficult. There are many reasons. For example, first you need to find a person who really needs such help. These people do not go out into the streets (otherwise they can already be considered independent and not in need of support), it is also impossible to get addresses and telephone numbers through social services - these structures do not disclose the personal data of their wards.

But even if you find a person who needs your assistance, that’s still half the battle. As soon as you start helping an elderly person, relatives will definitely intervene. And they can be understood - out of the blue, a stranger suddenly started visiting an elderly relative’s apartment! What if it's a scammer? Considering that there are quite a lot of scammers today, relatives have the right to doubt, you will agree. Let's say you managed to convince your relatives that you really just want to help the elderly person. And you found a lonely old man.

But even this does not guarantee getting rid of problems. For example, after a volunteer came to the apartment, an elderly person may lose something (or it may seem to him that something is missing). In this case, the volunteer is absolutely defenseless; he cannot prove his innocence.

When helping an elderly person at home, you need to be prepared for another emergency situation - the person may suddenly become ill, and the volunteer must be ready to take immediate action.

Many may have the impression that it is generally impossible to help an elderly person at home. This is not true, you just need to establish contact with social security services, relatives, formalize your relationship with the ward in a special agreement, and even easier - contact a large volunteer organization that has already developed a mechanism for helping older people.

Read the material on the topic: Loneliness of older people

Types of government support

If a single person’s pension is below the regional subsistence level, he is entitled to additional payments. They are produced from the federal or local budget. This depends on the cost of living established in the region.

According to the law, a single pensioner can count on assistance in the form of:

• social service support;
• receiving discounts, subsidies, grants from the state;
• tax benefits;
• targeted cash assistance.

Tax benefits

1. Exemption from personal income tax , provided that the person has stopped working. The company pays 13% for working pensioners.
2. Benefit when paying transport tax , which is established by regional authorities.
3. Preferences for deductions to the budget for real estate objects . Complete exemption from payment for one of them.
4. Land tax benefits . There is no need to pay it when the plot is less than 6 acres.
5. Refund of personal income tax when purchasing new real estate if the citizen has worked for the last three years.

Subsidy for housing and communal services payments

For pensioners who conscientiously make utility payments, the regional authorities of Russia and Moscow have provided partial or full compensation for the following types of services:

• gas and heating;
• garbage removal;
• house maintenance;
• electricity, cold and hot water.

A single unemployed elderly person has the right to monthly compensation for additional living space if it does not exceed 33 m2. Citizens who have reached 80 years of age and meet certain requirements can be completely exempt from utility payments.

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Exemption from contributions for major repairs

Residents are required to contribute money monthly to restore the property. These amounts are accumulated in a special account and spent only for their intended purpose. A single senior citizen who has reached the age of 70 is entitled to a 50% discount on major repairs. If a person is over 80, then he is completely exempt from paying these contributions. The privilege is valid when the pensioner is the owner of the apartment.

Other preferences

A single person can count on the following privileges:

• Travel for free or at a discount on city public transport (benefits are determined by regional authorities).
• Once a year, undergo sanatorium treatment if there is a doctor’s indication for this.
• Pay 50% less for cable TV than other citizens.
• Receive a monthly discount for using a landline telephone connection.
• Free medical examination and vaccination.
• Take advantage of discounts when purchasing medications.
• If you are completely helpless, get a referral to live in a nursing home.
• Provide free dental treatment or prosthetics.
• If you have relatives in remote regions of the Russian Federation, where it is difficult to get to, the state will help pay for the air flight.

How to help older people in government nursing homes

Today in Russia there are more than 2,000 thousand nursing homes, in which more than ten thousand old people permanently live. How does a person end up in a nursing home? Everyone's circumstances are different. Some people in their declining years are left completely alone, without relatives, and cannot take care of themselves. Others have living relatives, but they do not want to support and care for the old man. For others, the children moved around the country and forgot about their elderly parent. The purpose of our article is not to condemn people who abandoned their elderly, but to find out how to help older people, including those in nursing homes. Therefore, let's not talk about the reasons, let's talk about the consequences.

In a nursing home, an elderly person finds himself cut off from the outside world. Some people don’t want to go beyond their little world, while others can’t do it. In this case, the entire life of older people is limited to sharing breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and simple entertainment such as watching TV and listening to the radio. In general, an elderly person who finds himself in a nursing home seems to cease to exist to the outside world. It is especially difficult in such a situation for bedridden patients - they do not even have the opportunity to go out into the courtyard and breathe fresh air.

In nursing homes, it is difficult for many to even engage in hobbies - knitting, embroidering, sawing, etc. And not because it is prohibited. It’s just that three-quarters of the pension goes to the nursing home itself for the maintenance of the patient, and the remaining quarter goes to little tasty treats or to the staff in general - for going to the store, for example, or extra cleaning in the ward. So, the “guests” really need our help. How to help older people in nursing homes?

• Attention, care and respect, creative employment.

Finding themselves in unusual conditions, older people often react to a change in their usual environment with apathy, complete indifference to themselves and everything that surrounds them. This apathy can lead - and often does - to the so-called “loss of personality.” As a result, nursing home patients lose their own opinions, are ready to do “whatever they say,” and begin to put up with the rudeness of the staff, poor material support, tasteless food, etc.

The same thing happens with staff. Caring for dozens of patients every day as part of their professional duties, they cease to respect them and even “distinguish” between them. Everyone merges into a solid mass, which is even physically impossible to serve, let alone pay attention to the needs, needs and wishes of each patient, to the lack of live human communication and attention.

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Why is it so important to help older people in nursing homes? Along with the “loss of personality,” a person completely loses motivation for life. Older people withdraw into themselves, become isolated, and cease to feel like individuals who deserve respect. Helping older people in this case means restoring the joy of communication to them, making them feel needed and useful again.

How exactly to help older people in nursing homes? It's actually quite simple. We need to let them demonstrate their skills, abilities, talents, make them think, and, if possible, do something. Various simple creative tasks are well suited for this. For example, the foundation invites cultural organizers and art therapists to visit older people. At first, elderly people who have fallen into apathy internally resist creativity, but then they are extremely fascinated by the process. They look forward to continuing their studies and begin to present their works to the public.

Is it possible to help older people who do not live in a nursing home in the same way? Of course you can. For those who live an independent life, charities also provide creative and intellectual activities.

• Help with your hands.

You can help older people in nursing homes not only with attention, but also with your hands. Nursing homes are often a rather sad sight. Not only does the whole situation speak of the official nature of this house, but cosmetic repairs have not been made in every nursing home. Therefore, old people also need help with housework - repairs, cutting the grass in the yard, repairs in the wards, etc.

Read material on the topic: Boarding house for the elderly in Odintsovo

How to personally help older people

1. You can help older people regularly, not occasionally. If you're ready, there are some simple ways to help older adults.

• You can visit the elderly on your own or by joining a volunteer trip. Volunteers usually organize concerts for their charges, think about whether you should take part too? Sing something, read poetry, play a skit, etc. A concert plus sweet gifts - and now the grandparents are smiling, their spirits are lifted.
• It won't cost you anything to be a pen pal. Just the cost of the envelope. Lonely elderly people are happy to hear any news from the world; they will look forward to your letters and postcards. At the same time, it doesn’t matter at all where you live, because ordinary letters sent by mail connect the most different corners of the globe.

2. You can help elderly people living independently and in nursing homes with money. Let's talk about financial assistance.

• You can buy essential items and take them to nursing homes or donate a package to volunteers. What should you buy?
• nursing homes usually need diapers for adults, personal care items, and medical equipment;
• Those who live independently also have their own needs. You need to find out before purchasing.

• You can visit old people in a remote village, buy them a supply of food, chop firewood for the winter.
• Remember that low-income retirees do not only live in your city. There are especially many of them in villages, where they live out their lives, unable to leave. You can collect food parcels and send them to those in need.

To ensure that your initiative becomes useful and reaches the right recipient, look for like-minded people on the Internet. For example, a community may have many charitable giving options for older adults to choose from. In addition to financial support, you can help older people with repairs, cleaning, laundry, etc.

• You can regularly monitor ongoing charity events. For example, “Give Firewood” was an event whose purpose was to raise funds for old people living in houses with stove heating.
• A good way to help older people would be a corporate cleanup at a nursing home. Its purpose is to, in the shortest possible time, with the help of several dozen people, make cosmetic repairs and arrange the territory of the nursing home - lay out flower beds, clean paths, put up benches for walking, etc.

3. You can take nursing home patients who can walk, as well as single elderly people who live independently, to places that are important to them. Usually this is a cemetery - to visit the graves of relatives and friends, a clinic, a church.

4. You can help older people obtain some services through electronic programs and help them understand technology.

5. If you don’t have any time for personal assistance, then you can help older people by making a donation in their favor. The money will be used to pay for care assistants and nannies.

What does the status of “single pensioner” mean?

This category includes older people (women over 55, men over 60) who:

• They do not have close relatives who can provide financial assistance.
• They run their own household.
• Not married.
• In the relationship they have minor children, disabled relatives of groups 1 and 2.
• They have the status of low-income citizens.

There is a concept of a “retirement living alone”. These people have relatives in another city or country. They themselves live separately from everyone else. Help for lonely elderly people is provided by social protection authorities and the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation. For such citizens, preferences of the tax inspectorate are provided.

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I want to help older people. Where to begin?

To get started, you can contact a charity organization. There are charities that specialize specifically in helping the elderly - ,,. Many organizations are engaged in charity in several areas, including helping the elderly. (, Orthodox help service “Mercy”, , Movement).

If you want to help older people, but don’t know where to start, contact such a charity foundation. Your funds will be spent as efficiently as possible, since over the years of work the funds have created special programs to help the elderly that take into account all their needs, wants, and wishes. It is quite difficult to determine on your own what exactly the elderly need in a nursing home. It happens that there is no need for warm clothes, because there is simply nowhere to store them. But various household items, textiles, and decorative items are very necessary (bed linen, rugs, towels, wall paintings, etc.).

If you have the desire and opportunity to help elderly people with food, contact volunteers. Volunteers usually work with the social security service and receive information from it about elderly people in need.

You can make a charitable contribution with money. Funds have a need for “real” money to pay for the work of “assistants” - cultural organizers, additional employees for care.

Read material on the topic: Caring for disabled pensioners

Social funds helping older people in Russia

1. “Vera” is a fund to help hospices and their patients. The motto of the foundation is: “A person can be helped, even if he cannot be cured.”
2. “Heart to Heart” is a charitable foundation that provides assistance to vulnerable social groups, including the elderly.
3. “Predaniye” – the foundation works on nine different assistance programs. Fundraising takes place each time under one of the programs.
4. “Joint” is a charitable organization that, among other things, provides creative activities for older people. For those who live independently, they help around the house, organize free hot meals for charity, help them stay warm, and sometimes work with medical programs.
5. Orbi is a foundation that works with older people who have suffered a stroke. They work with volunteers who are ready to provide physical assistance at home - walks, care, housekeeping, assistance in preparing and obtaining documents. The Foundation constantly invites for cooperation those who can conduct creative activities with older people, organize a concert and perform at it.
6. “Fair Aid” is a public organization created by Doctor Lisa. If you want to help older people, you can do this directly through a special form on the website. Or refer to the section “The needs of our clients”. In it you will find a list of all the things that the elderly need.
7. “Help Needed” is the easiest way to help older people. It is enough to make a one-time or monthly donation of one hundred rubles through the website. But you can approach the issue more seriously - leave a request on the website. The fund's specialists will teach you everything.
8. “Living” - the fund was created for those who have serious illnesses. Helps adults up to 60 years of age.

Who is eligible for social services at home?

After an application for recognition as needing social services in a semi-stationary form or filed in relation to minors is registered, within three working days specialists will check the information specified in the application. Then an examination of material, living and social living conditions will be organized - with a visit to the applicant’s home. Based on the results of the survey, a report is drawn up and the amount of your average per capita income is established.

How to get an individual social services program?

• to the department of social protection of the population of Moscow at the applicant’s place of permanent residence - if social services in a semi-stationary form are needed, as well as if social services in a stationary form are necessary for a minor citizen;
• in any of them - if social services are needed in a stationary form.

• passport (original and copy);
• registration statement (issued by the passport office at the place of residence);
• disability certificate or other document confirming the right to social benefits. help;
• a medical certificate of health (certified by the head physician of the medical institution) and a rehabilitation program, if there is one;
• a power of attorney for the person who is involved in processing social assistance in the event that the person in need is unable to do so;
• a certificate of income that is subject to taxes (if the pensioner has such in addition to the pension).

Collecting all the documents seems simple, but in practice it is not always possible to quickly obtain social assistance at home. In addition, in territorial centers there is a constant shortage of personnel, consideration of applications is delayed or is not always considered on the merits of the issue. And disabled people and elderly citizens cannot wait, so they (or their relatives) often turn to a boarding house in the Odintsovo district for the elderly with round-the-clock supervision and individual care for the elderly. As a rule, in such institutions, work with older people is organized at a high level, all conditions for comfortable living are created; There is a staff of medical workers looking after elderly patients.

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Procedure for paperwork

To submit and complete documents, a senior citizen (or his authorized representative) who needs support from the state must contact the Center for Social Services at their place of residence. This organization is obliged to accept an application from an elderly pensioner and provide him with a list of documents that he needs to collect for registration.

Since the beginning of 2015 , certain categories of beneficiaries have been identified, as well as low-income applicants who are entitled to free social services. Poor people are considered to be those who receive an income equal to or less than the minimum subsistence level in a particular region.

A commercial boarding school will require a lot of money. The price in it often corresponds to the level of living in an expensive hotel. There are establishments that are suitable for people with average income. It all depends on the degree of comfort, so many establishments are no different from five-star hotels.

Private nursing home as an alternative to social care at home for the elderly

• solving organizational issues related to food, leisure, everyday life and housekeeping;
• purchase of products, personal hygiene products, household chemicals;
• purchase of medicines;
• if the living space in which an elderly person lives does not have central heating or running water (for example, a private house), then assistance is provided in lighting the stove and providing drinking water;
• cleaning the apartment, including assistance with cosmetic repairs;
• Payment of utility services;
• accompaniment to leisure places, to sanatorium-resort treatment;
• calling a doctor to your home.

During a pandemic, when everyone must comply with the self-isolation regime, it is especially difficult for single pensioners. Family social work specialist Tatyana Pryakhina will tell you where to turn for help.

It is advisable to constantly be in touch with loved ones and neighbors. You can set intervals for follow-up calls so that relatives are aware that everything is fine with the elderly. This is important because single retirees may have health problems.

The current situation is unique. In these unusual conditions, people can become confused. We all know that free cheese only comes in a mousetrap. If someone calls and says that they can provide help, bring food, money, you need to check the information.

• medical;
• pedagogical;
• legal;
• household;
• legal;
• labor

Social services for pensioners and disabled people, included in the NSO, can be provided to the beneficiary in kind or in cash - the right to choose remains with the beneficiary. This means that the citizen independently determines whether to take advantage of the benefit or receive compensation in the amount established by law:

What documents are needed

• inpatient care in boarding homes for the elderly, veterans, and disabled people;
• semi-stationary care in night or day care departments;
• social services at home;
• provision of rehabilitation services;
• urgent social services.

The pensioner's representative is required to provide the first copy of the power of attorney. In addition, a document confirming family ties is required. For example, a pensioner’s child provides his birth certificate.

According to the new rules, the function of caring for elderly people can be transferred to a specialized enterprise or individual entrepreneur. Such structures are financed from the budget. Therefore, their activities must be licensed. As a rule, a list of structures that provide support to those in need is posted on the official portal of the municipality.

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Procedure for provision

• women who celebrated their 55th anniversary;
• men after 60 years of age;
• disabled people of any age.

For information: orphans, low-income families who find themselves in difficult situations, wards and guardians, and other categories of citizens can also apply for social support.

Disabled people of all groups are the most vulnerable category of the population. The state takes special care of them in the form of providing various benefits, social assistance, payments and allowances. In 2021, there will be changes in the social security of Russian disabled people; this is provided for by federal laws.

When serving elderly citizens and disabled people living in residential premises without central heating and (or) water supply, home-based social services may include assistance in providing fuel and (or) water.

• Catering arrangements, including home delivery of groceries.
• Assistance in purchasing medicines for medical use, medical devices, food and industrial essential goods.
• Assistance in obtaining medical care, including accompaniment to medical organizations.
• Maintaining living conditions in accordance with hygienic requirements.
• Assistance in organizing legal assistance and other legal services.
• Assistance in organizing funeral services.

Those in need of support are identified by personal application or identified by employees of territorial centers. All complex work to provide services is carried out through authorized government bodies.

• home assistance on an ongoing basis, when an elderly person receives comprehensive support in all current matters related to the organization of everyday life;
• one-time assistance;
• information and legal support in resolving organizational and legal issues;
• support for a sponsored patient undergoing inpatient treatment (including day hospitalization).

Who is entitled to social assistance at home?

The application and package of documents submitted by the pensioner are considered at a commission meeting, where the applicant’s condition is assessed and the amount of assistance the person needs is determined. Based on the decision of the commission, a service plan for the ward is developed, and subsequently a separate social worker is assigned to him, who is responsible for the implementation of patronage.

A contract for social services is concluded between the person in need of help and a government agency. Its validity period is a calendar year. The peculiarity of such contracts is that they do not require regular renewal. If there is no fact of written refusal of services, the document is renewed automatically.