South Moravian Region is preparing the construction of homes for the elderly for 900 million CZK

Retirement home in Portugal by Aires Mateus

Zastávka (Brno Region) - In southern Moravia, the construction of the first of ten planned new homes for the elderly and sick people symbolically began today. In Zastávka near Brno, the retirement home will be expanded for 78 million crowns. There will be 48 new places. The region is preparing an investment of 78 million crowns. In total, it plans 545 new places in various homes, with costs amounting to 900 million crowns. The region will go into debt due to the investment. Governor Michal Hašek (ČSSD) rejected criticism from the opposition ODS that it is an imprudent move.
The head of the regional ODS and councilor Jiří Kadrnka recently stated that the loan that the region will use for the modernization and expansion of the retirement homes will be repaid by this year's first-graders. Hašek rejected the criticism that the investment is unproductive. "The leadership of the region, by its decision to build and strengthen the capacities for elderly care in the region, is doing exactly what responsible children should do," he stated in a press release. According to him, the region invests money because in some cases, children cannot take care of their parents, and in other cases, they do not want to. "In such cases, of course, it is the public sphere's turn," he added.
Caring for a person with dementia is almost unmanageable for an isolated layperson according to experts. The sick person must be under constant supervision, even at night when they often wake up. Care is more challenging when they can still walk independently. They can easily go outside and get lost. "No one can handle that. Then (the caregiver) ends up needing psychological care and in the intensive care unit due to complete exhaustion," recently described Jana Kopecká from the Diocesan Charity Brno.
The region has divided the construction of homes into several phases. The start of new buildings in Zastávka near Brno, Blansko, Kyjov, and Bučovice, as well as the complete reconstruction of the retirement home in Plaveč in the Znojmo region, is planned for this year. "The second phase, starting at the turn of this year and next, will include new capacities in Újezd near Brno, Hustopeče, Tomešova Street in Brno, Miroslav, and Ivančice," Hašek added.
In regional homes, there are 3,171 beds available for seniors. Demand exceeds supply, but according to experts, it is difficult to determine exactly how many beds are lacking. Most families have more applications than there are homes in the region, and many submit their applications long in advance due to a long waiting list. Some of them, therefore, do not want to move into a home yet.