SOPHIA ANNE ROTH
The central Baltic state of Latvia suffers from one of the highest social exclusion rates in the European Union. In the rural town of Iecava, people are seizing every opportunity to build and shape a more inclusive society. A story about overcoming socio-economic preconditions, prejudices, and inter-generational conflicts.
Only slowly can 75-year-old Zoja Dāboliņa move through her home, a one-room end-of-terrace house on the outskirts of Iecava, Latvia. A kitchen area consisting of a fridge, a sink, and an oven to the left; some photos and personal objects on the sideboard, a dining table in front of the window, and a single bed to the right, the bathroom just off the small entrance way. At least once every day, a caregiver from the local home care service comes by. And even though Dāboliņa lives a secluded life, she is content and deeply appreciates the help she receives.
A town in transition
Around 5,500 people live in Iecava, a town 45 kilometres south of Latvia’s capital, Riga. On the surface, the town seems as if at a standstill – many Soviet-era buildings, a few shops for daily needs, surrounded by acres of field and forest, the traffic only passing through on the Via Baltica.
Behind the scenes, however, town life is developing – a new sports hall for the primary school, an outside theatre in the midst of nature, the restored former Manor, a train station soon to be completed. As plaques reveal, most of these projects are financed by money from the EU Cohesion Policy, which aims to reduce the economic, social, and territorial disparities in regions and cities both between and within Member States.
Not only is the townscape of Iecava changing, but services for its citizens are also expanding. A home care service was set up in 2006, following Latvia’s entry into the EU in 2004, to reduce the exclusion of vulnerable groups from society. It was one of the first in Latvia.
Most clients are physically limited elderly people without relatives or close friends to check in on them, says Ineta Bramane, senior project manager at the Planning and Development Department of Bauska municipality.
“Years ago, the problem was that for many, using social services meant one was part of the lower society. There were lots of fears and prejudices. This perception only changed after educating the people that asking for help doesn’t mean anything bad,” Bramane says.
Participating in society
The United Nations defines social exclusion as “a state in which individuals are unable to participate fully in economic, social, political and cultural life, as well as the process leading to and sustaining such a state.”
Social inclusion on the other hand is defined as “the process of improving the terms of participation in society for people who are disadvantaged on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status, through enhanced opportunities, access to resources, voice and respect for rights.”
Latvia suffers from one of the highest social exclusion rates in the EU. According to a report published by the Central Statistics Bureau, in 2020, 26.2% of the population – or 490,000 people – were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Of people aged 65 and over, 44.6% were at risk.
One of the country’s main strategic goals, therefore, is to reduce poverty and social exclusion by creating “an effective system of social services, social assistance, and social security,” the Latvia 2030 Strategy reveals.
A comprehensive service
Iecava’s home care service covers a wide range of errands – from accompanying patients to doctor’s appointments and assisting with grocery shopping to administering medication, cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. In cooperation with the Salvation Army, the patients can also receive cooked meals delivered to their doorstep.
“Our clients are very satisfied with the home care service in Iecava, but we still hope to develop further, increase the quality of our work, and introduce additional services such as a hygiene service. Unlike in other EU countries, in Latvia there are still people without a shower and no possibility to wash,” Bramane explains.
Currently, four caregivers look after 19 patients – though, at one point, there were close to 40. Dace Ludiņa, a social worker in Iecava, assesses potential clients. “Our sources are often doctors or neighbours, who inform us if they think a person is in need of help,” she explains.
The process continues with collecting information about the health and living situation of the senior, followed by an evaluation according to a standardised checklist. A level of home care service then is assigned, however, is re-evaluated once a year. “There are positive cases, where the situation gets better, though sometimes it can also become worse,” Ludiņa says.
Particularly tough are situations where seniors are unaware of their circumstances, she admits. “Seeing a person, who believes all is well, but hasn’t washed all winter because they don’t have any hot water, that is sad.”
Learning and teaching
With the EU funding, the municipality has been able to invest in additional personnel, training for the staff, joint projects and activities with other municipalities as far as Lithuania, and new equipment, for example, wheelchairs and suitable vehicles to transport the patients.
Seminars have helped social workers and caregivers to better understand on the one hand their roles, and on the other hand the seniors. This was particularly important when dealing with the initial fear of patients letting social services enter their houses at all, Sigma Strautmale, head of the Iecava division of social services in Bauska municipality, remembers.
Zane Roze, a caregiver in Iecava for 12 years, adds, the challenge is also to understand the generation differences, to understand a generation that grew up without technology. “We often help, even if it is rudimentary, to help pay bills, to understand the value of money.”
As for the equipment, Strautmale says, “our cars not only enable us to get the patients out of their houses for daily needs but also open the opportunity for them to attend events in town. This is an important way of integration.”
“It is a very rewarding and touching part of our work to see the patients developing from closed people to open, happy, and smiling individuals,” Roze adds.
“Help me with anything”
As for Dāboliņa, she sucks in the good days, the social days as she likes to call them. Cooked lunch is brought to her house once a day, and she also receives help with doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping. “They will help me with anything,” she says, “because at some point it dawned on me that I can’t do anything anymore by myself, and that people were turning their backs.” The home care service has nothing but a positive effect on her life.
With only 344 Euros at hand each month, Dāboliņa’s pension is lower than the EU average.
Social policy researcher Dr. Evija Klave from the European Social Policy Analytical Network names pensioners, persons with disabilities, families with several children, and single-parent families as the social groups whose risk of poverty, and therefore of social exclusion, is high.
“In recent years, a number of policies have been put in place to support low-income people in coping with different types of crises – the Covid-19 crisis, the energy crisis, and related price rises exacerbated by the Russian-led war in Ukraine. The disadvantage of such measures is that they are essentially short-term.”
In the future, the aging population and the thus higher social burden on the economically active population are the biggest challenges Latvia faces. “Fiscal policy, its implementation, and explanatory work will therefore play a key role,” Klave concludes.
In Iecava, the future is uncertain. Although in many ways a functioning home care service has been established, Bramane still looks ahead with fear. “We need to secure further funding to guarantee the development of our staff and our services,” she says. Another concern is the lack of young people and men in the field of social services. “Jobs are physically and mentally demanding and not well paid,” Bramane admits. “For us, however, we like to think of life as a boomerang – we are doing good now, so when the day arrives when we become weaker, we will receive the help we once gave.”