The National Audit Office, which carried out the audit, stated that only Vilnius, the Vilnius district and the Anykščiai district provide a full spectrum of social services for the elderly. In the opinion of the mayor of the Vilnius district self-government Marija Rekst, care for the elderly is a very important field of interest of local self-governments.
'The self-government of the Vilnius district really cares about their senior citizens, and, I think, it should be that way. We should respect the elderly, especially now, when young families are massively leaving abroad and seniors are left alone. Upon initially taking up the post of mayor, I stated that a nursing home for the elderly is absolutely necessary. I am glad I have managed to build such a facility for seniors in Paberžė, this is a big thing. In addition, we have opened two institutions under one roof in Valčiūnai - for the disabled, the elderly, and the lonely. This is very important because an elderly person has worked all of his or her life to build welfare of the society, of the state, therefore the authorities must ensure a decent senile life of such person,' said the mayor of the Vilnius district. She also added that there are several hospitals in the Vilnius district that have been rebuilt inside out or have been attended to their renovation by the local government. These include facilities in Šumskas, Kalina, Nemenčinė, Juodšiliai, where palliative care services for the elderly are provided.
'In addition, there are professionals in each municipality who help the elderly and the lonely people. I think that local government's investments are very well directed, because we should care for not only the youth, but also for the elderly, who often do not have a family, and even if they do, the family is not always able to take care of an older person,' noted Marija Rekst.
In Lithuania, the number of seniors is gradually increasing: in 1990 pensioners in our state accounted for 19%, in 2014 - 22.4%.
The National Audit Office carried out an audit, which revealed that the majority of local governments in Lithuania do not provide adequate care for the elderly.
