Condition and problems of institutional care facilities for elderly people and/or people with disabilities in war-torn Ukraine
In the midst of full-scale war, where the fight for life unfolds every day, we must not forget those most in need of protection and care – the elderly and people with disabilities. Having often lost everything, they end up in residential care facilities. But are these facilities coping with the excessive strain and new wartime challenges?
In the second half of May 2025, the Charity Foundation “East SOS” undertook an international monitoring mission to residential care facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities in Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv Oblasts. The mission’s goal was to examine the condition and challenges these institutions face in wartime.
Our monitoring findings were summarized in a report that highlights the key challenges:
- Overcrowding of facilities and severe lack of space for accommodating evacuees;
- Insufficient funding, making it impossible for the facilities to meet the basic needs of their residents;
- Lack of barrier-free infrastructure and limited access to services;
- Significant staffing shortages and high workloads for junior medical personnel;
- Limited impact of Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 888, which does not align with the realities of most facilities.
The report goes beyond merely stating the problems — it includes specific recommendations for the Ukrainian Government and international donors aimed at stabilizing the situation and ensuring decent living conditions for the most vulnerable populations.
The full text of the report is available below.
This monitoring mission was carried out as part of the project “Support to War-Affected Vulnerable Populations and Residents of Remote Areas of Ukraine,” funded by the European Union. The contents are the sole responsibility of the CF “East SOS” and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
