In the Lviv region, over 280 lonely people receive social and hygiene services through the Home-Based Care programme, provided by 64 social workers of the Ukrainian Red Cross

Among those receiving assistance with daily living, care, and social issues are people with limited mobility whose health prevents them from leaving their homes. Social assistants provide them with proper and comfortable conditions through care, supervision, and support.

It is worth noting that the Ukrainian Red Cross has been providing home-based care services since 1961, when it established a patronage service offering free care to lonely, disabled, and elderly individuals. Until 2017, this service was state-funded. Since then, a new approach to home-based care has been introduced. With support from Red Cross partner organisations, the project initially continued only in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions but then expanded to several other regions of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, all available resources have been mobilised to scale up home-based care activities and provide assistance to more people in need. Currently, about a thousand social assistants across Ukraine provide assistance and support to more than 5,500 beneficiaries.

Social assistants help with household chores (cleaning, cooking, changing bed linen), address social issues (accompanying clients to medical appointments, purchasing and delivering food, water, and other essentials, assisting with utility bills, and going for walks), provide hygiene services, and offer crucial emotional support. This support is particularly vital for elderly individuals who are isolated during these challenging times.

Assistance is provided based on the available resources of regional branches of the Ukrainian Red Cross and the eligibility of potential clients within the project’s target groups.