In Pilsen, a new private home for the elderly was established thanks to the EU

Plzeň - A private home for the elderly worth 63 million CZK was opened in Plzeň-Bolevec by the non-profit organization Kompas Social, an association from Plzeň. The Senior Residence Terasy, with round-the-clock healthcare staff and 52 beds, was significantly supported by the European Operational Program ROP. It is the largest private home for the elderly in the Plzeň region, said the director of the home, Milada Brašnová.
     About two-thirds of the five-story building is new construction, while the rest was created from a former kindergarten set in a mature garden. The building contains 24 double rooms, three of which are wheelchair accessible, and four single rooms. Three of the floors provide direct access to the ground and the fourth to a terrace, meaning there is barrier-free access outside from all four floors.
     "Without support from the EU, this project could not have been realized, as investments of this type never pay off," Brašnová stated. For operations, EU subsidies cannot be drawn, but the home expects to utilize smaller support from employment offices, specifically from funds for staff training.
     "We already have a forty percent occupancy rate. The clients are mainly from Plzeň, the oldest is 97 years old," she said. The home is intended for mobile and immobile seniors who require comprehensive care or a higher level of assistance, particularly due to age but also due to deteriorating health conditions. The service is not intended for people whose situations require hospitalization or direct specialized medical care. However, general practitioners do visit the facility. Once the home is fully occupied, it will employ a total of 20 staff.
     In addition to paying for care based on the level of dependency, clients pay 200 CZK for accommodation and 160 CZK for meals per day. "This is the maximum allowed by the Social Services Act. Facilities established by regions and municipalities often have these payments lower because they receive operational subsidies from the state and municipalities. Unfortunately, the Minister canceled operational subsidies for all newly established social services for 2012, putting us at a disadvantage," Brašnová stated.
     The home has a bathtub for wheelchair users, a shower box for bedridden clients, and a bathtub with hydro-massage, common rooms for hobbies, therapeutic and activation activities, and two computer workstations. "This is a very interesting project for variously disabled clients all the way to the bedridden. The home strives to create a homely environment, and these facilities have their place in the market," said the district mayor and regional councilor Miroslav Brabec (ČSSD).