Miory Regional Executive Committee
The Babynich Psychoneurological Boarding Home for the Elderly and Disabled has not coincidentally been chosen as the venue for the regional training seminar for heads of similar social care institutions. For the second year running, it holds the leading position in the republic among 92 boarding homes. Where else could colleagues learn to create a friendly environment than here? This is essential to ensure personalization and the use of alternative and augmentative communication among residents.
– Changes to legislation on social services will take effect already in July, – noted Vera Astapenko, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Regional Executive Committee. – In particular, boarding homes will be renamed social pensionaries. This is due to the fact that the lifestyle in boarding homes has changed significantly in recent years, and living conditions have come closer to those at home and in sanatoriums. The functions of these institutions have expanded, and new directions and technologies are being widely implemented in their work: dementia prevention, rehabilitation, habilitation, and social respite for families.
Indeed, modern boarding homes provide decent living conditions, full meals, round-the-clock care, medical assistance, accessible environments, and leisure activities. Mechanisms have been developed to address all issues related to life support and daily living. The time has come to elevate the quality of stay for residents in social care institutions to a new level.
The main idea running through the regional seminar was that aesthetics and service quality should be placed at the forefront of organizing the living space for wards of future social pensionaries: items surrounding them, while retaining their functionality, must be beautiful and modern.
The Babynich Boarding House has demonstrated what such an environment can look like. On each floor where residents live, there is perfect order and cleanliness, with no visual clutter. Personal care and hygiene items are stored in individual compartments. All textiles are coordinated within a unified color palette; notably, bedding, curtains, and blankets are sewn in the facility’s own sewing workshop. In the interiors of rooms and corridors, floral compositions made of foamiran and izolon serve as bright accents, crafted during occupational therapy sessions. Every corner is arranged as a space for relaxation or exercises to maintain cognitive functions. For instance, Kuznetsov applicators are mounted on chairs in the corridors, and simple leg trainers have been assembled from readily available materials. And consider the SPA capsule, fish pedicures, and lounge zone! Guests were particularly impressed by the eco-themed floor, where natural materials were used in the interior design.
The boarding house and its adjacent grounds form a comprehensive complex featuring spaces for physical exercise, a library, cinema halls, a phyto-bar, and more, entirely devoid of institutional austerity. Housing over 400 residents with various psychoneurological conditions, the facility closely resembles a quality sanatorium. This atmosphere has been cultivated and is continually enhanced by the staff.
Boarding House Director Svetlana Chepik outlined how the team implements initiatives and concepts designed to bring beauty and comfort into the residents' living environment. Key funding sources include revenue from the sale of goods produced in the facility's vocational workshops, sponsorship support, charitable campaigns, and, most significantly, state assistance.
Following the training seminar, each boarding house develops an internal action plan. The objective is to ensure due attention is given to aesthetic standards and service quality across all future social residential facilities.