National Audit Office: Service provision in municipalities to help older people maintain their independence is uneven

• The social services system does not provide adequate conditions for older people to remain independent.
• Availability of services varies across municipalities.
• Only 14 (out of 60) municipalities provided all four services in 2024: home care, transportation, social skills training and support, and psychosocial assistance.
• It is recommended to establish mandatory minimum standards for social services and to promote their expansion.

The results of the audit “Promoting active ageing” conducted by the National Audit Office show that the social services system currently does not provide sufficient conditions for older people to remain independent and be full members of society. Services are more focused on supporting vital functions when a person can no longer care for themselves, rather than on ensuring independence.
  
“Social security in old age should not depend on one’s residential address. Currently, the service system is more focused on consequences rather than prevention. It is essential to strengthen it—to provide information and services that would help people live in their own homes for as long as possible and remain independent. We must establish mandatory minimum service standards for all municipalities so that maintaining independence is not a matter of geographical luck, but a guaranteed public service for every senior,” notes Auditor General Irena Segalovičienė.
  
Only one-fifth of older people (60+) have used social services in recent years, and the majority of them (91.5%) were satisfied, however, 29% indicated that they had needs but did not use the services, mainly (16.2%) because they were unaware of such services, did not know how to access them, or did not dare to apply.
  
Availability of services in municipalities is uneven
  
Although the availability of social services increased between 2022 and 2024, the audit results show that the availability of services designed to help maintain independence is uneven. Due to insufficient data recording in the Family Social Support Information System, no standards have been established for some preventive and general services (counseling, mediation and representation, provision of essential clothing and footwear, organization of food, personal hygiene, and care services), making it difficult for municipalities to objectively forecast the demand for services and ensure their availability.
  
The most significant differences among municipalities are evident in the provision of the following services, which are crucial for ensuring independence: home care, transportation services, social skills training and support, and psychosocial assistance. Only 14 (out of 60) municipalities provided all four services in 2024 (Alytus City, Anykščiai District, Druskininkai City, Jonava District, Joniškis District, Kaunas City, Kaunas District, Klaipėda District, Kretinga District, Kupiškis District, Lazdijai District, Neringa City, Telšiai District, Vilnius District), while 46 did not provide at least one of them.
  
There is a lack of clear standards and planning
  
The auditors note that some municipalities fail to meet even the minimum standards in areas of services critical to independence, such as home care (18%), transportation organization (33%), social skills development and support (46%), and psychosocial assistance (76%). On the other hand, there are cases where the established standards are exceeded. For example, the target for transportation services was 20 recipients per 1,000 older people, but the Švenčionys District Municipality provided transportation services to six times as many people as planned.
  
The Ministry assesses the level of service development in municipalities but does not identify the causes of these disparities. Furthermore, in 2022–2024, 56 out of 60 municipalities did not include or implement a single measure in their planning documents aimed at expanding social services for older people.
  
Proposed solutions: clearer requirements and greater expansion
  
The National Audit Office recommended that the Ministry of Social Security and Labour establish mandatory minimum standards for municipalities regarding preventive and general social services aimed at maintaining individuals’ independence and encourage the expansion of these services. The Ministry of Health was recommended to establish a minimum mandatory list of basic public health care services for older people.