How much does social assistance cost?

Several elderly women have recently called the editorial office. They all live in different areas of Moscow and are all concerned about one thing: from April 1, social assistance for pensioners living alone, as well as people with disabilities who cannot care for themselves, has become paid.

Several elderly women have recently called the editorial office. Despite the fact that they live in different districts of Moscow, they are all concerned about one thing: from April 1, social assistance for single and lonely pensioners, as well as people with disabilities who cannot care for themselves, became paid.

In Moscow, such assistance has always been provided free of charge, and older people were naturally disturbed by the price list, which they found in the brochures they received, published by the Department of Social Protection of the capital.

Sobesednik.ru tried to figure out the problem.

In principle, issues of social services have long been left to the regions (since 1996). So, the services provided to the elderly and disabled, the assistance they receive, depend entirely on the generosity and humanity of the local executive authorities. Well, and of course, from the saturation of regional budgets.

So that somewhere it is fixed: they say, for each infirm resident of Russia a certain amount should be allocated per year, with which various social workers would help this person live - this is not written down anywhere.

In Moscow, it must be said, unlike many other regions, free social assistance exists. And there is a fairly extensive list of services that are provided to people free of charge (the so-called Territorial List, which is recorded in Moscow Government Decree No. 215-PP of March 24, 2009).

The most common services provided free of charge by social service employees: delivery of food, medicine, payment of bills, cleaning, including wet cleaning (up to 36 sq. m), assistance in cooking. Those clients who receive home-based social and medical services can also count on the help of a nurse who cares for the client taking into account his state of health, can give an injection, measure blood pressure, etc. You never know what difficulties helpless people may face.

Free assistance is provided, however, not to everyone, but only to certain categories of citizens (they are listed in Article 8 of Law No. 34 of Moscow dated July 9, 2008).

And last fall, the capital adopted a decree of the Moscow government (dated October 12, 2010 N 919-PP), which states in black and white: those who have the right to services specified in the Territorial List continue to receive them free of charge. However, now there is a list of additional social services that can be obtained at social rates.

The tariff (there are no services more expensive than 197 rubles) was developed based on the time required for a particular procedure. That is, if, say, a social worker spends half an hour rather than an hour washing windows, the client will pay half the price. At the same time, he must sign the act and transfer the money against a special receipt. According to the paid tariff, for example, washing a window costs 193 rubles for 1 hour, and getting a haircut at home costs 97 rubles for 30 minutes, ironing clothes will cost 64 rubles for 20 minutes.

It was precisely this circumstance that caused confusion - that previously free services could become paid. Tariffs were written on them and brochures were distributed door to door. Elderly people, seeing that the usual services they received suddenly had a price tag, became worried.

City officials claim that nothing has changed for those who received free assistance.

I call those who contacted the editor.

“Indeed, I haven’t paid for anything yet,” says Inga Aleksandrovna from the Sokolniki district. - They explained to me in our social center that everyone who already has an agreement will continue to be served as before. And those who sign the new agreement will already begin to pay.

“Nothing has changed,” assures Zinaida Nikolaevna Avdoshkina, director of the Integrated Center for Social Services in the capital’s Marfino district, “The Department of Social Protection of the Moscow Population has simply expanded the possibility of receiving assistance for our clients. The territorial list of free services guaranteed by the state has been preserved in full, without changes. And to it were added those services that, according to our research, elderly citizens and people with disabilities would like to receive in addition to the existing list.

All additional services can be provided by social workers or Center specialists only on a voluntary basis. And if the client is satisfied with the help from the social worker that he is currently receiving according to the Territorial List, then this is his right. We never insist on anything. We always try to make our clients happy and calm. All our work is aimed at helping to solve the problems of older citizens, providing them with a dignified old age, and prolonging their lives. And we really want our pensioners to stop worrying. Nothing changes in their life.

We try to help them, to live with the times, to meet the needs of elderly citizens and people with disabilities who are served in our Centers in a timely manner and in full.

By the way, before the Victory Day, we always wash the windows of all veterans in the region and do general cleaning for free. And this year it will be the same.

As Zinaida Nikolaevna said, the capital approaches issues of social protection and providing various types of assistance very carefully. In addition to the services provided by social workers, the Department of Social Protection of the Population allocates funds monthly for comprehensive cleaning of apartments and sanitary and hygienic services (the amount of these services per month depends on the population of the area).

And since 2010, in Marfino and several other districts of the North-Eastern District, there have been programs that are very valuable for older people and people with disabilities - “Spring of Health” and “Social Gerontology”. Both of them were developed and operate on the basis of the Day Care Department and the Department of Social Rehabilitation of Disabled People.

The first is aimed at maintaining a healthy lifestyle for older people and citizens with disabilities. This is a set of measures that allows you to receive preventive health procedures in health care facilities and the Center, cultural and leisure activities, hot lunches, excursions and educational walking routes. This is a kind of sanatorium that allows older people to have the opportunity to receive additional health activities without leaving the city.

The second program is much more interesting. Its goal: increasing the length and quality of life of older people. This is facilitated by a set of recreational and educational activities that are carried out on the basis of the State Institution KCSO “Marfino”. This program was developed by leading specialists from the Research Institute of Gerontology.

“Since February 2011, a new service for war and labor veterans has appeared in all Moscow Centers: social canteens have opened,” the director of the State Institution KCSO “Marfino” continues to list. - For example, in our area this canteen operates in the premises of the Ostankino restaurant. All this is free for our clients. As for additional paid services, there are already 9 people in our Center alone who want to receive them. And this is understandable, because our clients now have the opportunity to receive a wider range of services.

But, apparently, in each district of the capital, issues of social protection are understood differently.

“In Sokolniki we have neither a “social gerontology” program nor a “Spring of Health,” Inga Alexandrovna laments. - And no one washes our windows for free on May 9...