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Currently a reform of care homes for people with disabilities is taking place in Lithuania, with an aim to create better care conditions and implement new services for persons with disabilities who live in communities.
The number of people in Lithuania who reside in institutions is extremely high – almost 7 000, however, a tendency has been observed recently to establish smaller group-living spaces with better conditions. However, the disabled community is concerned with the fact that said reform is directed only at those under institutional care, while people with disabilities who are part of the general community and/or their families, continue to experience a lack of assistive services, leading them to getting on a waiting list to enter a care home. This creates a vicious cycle of institutionalized care.
There are several positive initiatives in the field of community services – Several municipalities are running pilot projects for personal assistant services. A promise has been made that if said projects deliver, the service will become permanent and implemented throughout the country.
