Assistance to the Disabled

The number of people with disabilities in Klaipeda has a tendency to grow. The reason is not only the increased number of invalid people, but also the general decrease of population.

Only in 2002, 9.787 out of 194 400 inhabitants (5% of population) turned out to be people with disabilities.

The community wishes and strives to help those people paying social security and providing social services. Social assistance for the disabled comes from the state and municipal budgets, the latter support being much smaller. The tendencies observed by social workers at Klaipeda Social Assistance Centre are not favourable because the amount of grants per capita among the disabled per month is decreasing. One of the oldest social services in our city, the provision of which started in 1991, is social assistance at home. In 2001 there were 19 kinds of services provided to 73 persons per month and in 2002, 23 kinds provided to 276 aged and disabled people. A place to live in the Social Care Home is offered for those disabled or elderly persons who can no longer live alone, as they need constant nursing and care. In 2002,199 applications to live in such homes were submitted and 97 persons were accommodated (48,7 %).

Movement is very important for the disabled elderly people. The demand for the technique which helps to move is satisfied in 85-91%. The most urgent problem is a need of wheel-chairs. The integration of people with movement disabilities is strengthened by providing them transport services. 420 persons receives such assistance from 19 NGOs involved in such activities.

Social workers not only organize the provision of services, but also strive to diminish social exclusion of the disabled. In 2001 the Center started organizing meetings and holidays for the disabled once per quarter. Such attractions like Kretinga Winter Garden, the farmstead of folk artist V. Majoras, the Hill of Crosses have been visited and major national and folk festivals celebrated.

Since three years the city business circles started granting financial support to social services and two private companies finance feeding of socially unprotected people. At present two projects are under implementation. Our partner at one of them is the Lithuanian Red Cross. Those projects are financed by the USA Democracy Commission and the EU ACCESS program.