Project: “Innovative Community Care Models in Favour of People with Chronic Diseases and Permanent Disabilities”
Implemented in: 7 municipalities in the districts of Vratsa, Vidin and Montana
Program: “Local development, poverty reduction and enhanced inclusion of vulnerable groups”
Implementation period: 17.05.2019 – 17.05.2023
Lead organisation: Bulgarian Red Cross
Partners: Ministry of Health (Bulgaria); Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (Bulgaria); Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
Project summary:
The aim of the project is to create an innovative model for remote monitoring of chronic diseases – teleassistance, based on modern information and communication technologies /ICT/ in the districts Vratsa, Vidin and Montana. This will improve the access of vulnerable and lonely people with chronic illnesses and permanent disabilities to professional health and social care, including end beneficiaries in remote and small populated areas. The new service will upgrade the activities of the Home Care Centers (HCC), providing health and social care in the home environment in Vratsa district, and it is envisaged that this service will be expanded to two new regions under the current project – Vidin and Montana. Thus, using the experience of Norway, the activities of all seven HCCs in the three regions will be gradually upgraded with the teleassistance service, building a system for 24-hour response (call center based in Vratsa) and recruitment and training of staff for this purpose. Piloting the teleassistance service in Bulgaria aims to outreach the most vulnerable members of our society and thus, tailored to their needs, to allow them feel safe and stay in their own homes for as long as possible.
The target group includes people over the age of 50 with chronic diseases and permanent disabilities, including Roma and members of other ethnic communities. The project also aims to create a system for fast response to emergencies and facilitate communication between institutions; creation of a multidisciplinary team in the field of health and social services for work in the home environment; creation of a platform uniting service providers, etc. stakeholders for the creation of quality medical and social services; creating preconditions for wide application of the teleassistance/ telecare service in the future by preparing draft legislative projects and standards. The project also aims to develop effective models for social inclusion and integration of people with low education, the long-term unemployed, incl. representatives of the Roma community by providing vocational training and creating employment opportunities in the field of health and social services. Expected results: 1. Opening of 3 new home care centers in the districts of Vidin and Montana; 2. Establishment and functioning of mobile units at the already existing Home Care Centers in Vratsa District; 3. Building a system for innovative services – teleassistance and telecare; 4. Establishment and functioning of multidisciplinary teams of specialists in the field of healthcare and social services; 5. Established effective model for social inclusion of representatives of the Roma population by providing quality vocational training and employment; 6. Improved access of vulnerable and lonely people with chronic diseases and disabilities to professional medical and social care; 7. Created preconditions for sustainable provision of the teleassistance service after the end of the project.
Grant amount: 3 000 000 EUR
Contact: Nadezhda Todorovska
email: n.todorovska@redcross.bg, s.metodieva@redcross.bg
phone: + 359 2 8164708
address: 76, James Bourchier Blvd. 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
website: http://e-homecarebg.com/bg/
