The study was part of the UNDP pilot project “Establishment of a mobile home care and palliative care service for single disabled people.”

The purpose of the study was to analyze the needs and assess the current situation with the provision of home care and palliative care services in selected communities in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, including the level of satisfaction of the target audience with these services. The study results were further used to develop a local regulatory framework for organizing the work of a mobile social service focused on home-based social services for single disabled citizens.

The study covered the following territorial communities:

  • Soledar, Vuhledar, Velykonovosilkivka, and Druzhkivka communities in Donetsk region;
  • Popasna, Bilokurakyno, Lysychansk, and Troitske communities in Luhansk region.

Main focuses of the study:

  • needs and background assessment on the provision of home care and palliative care services, including the compliance of the services provided with the needs of the target audience and the current State Standard of Home Care;
  • demand for community-based mobile social service for home care and palliative care, its tasks and conditions of operation, staffing and organizational support, technical equipment, etc.

The study used qualitative methods of collecting sociological data.

  1. Semi-structured interviews with citizens who already receive home care and citizens who need this service but do not receive it for some reason.
  2. In-depth interviews with stakeholders: village starostas, representatives of local social protection departments, and representatives of NGOs that work to protect the interests of the elderly and people with disabilities.
  3. Focus group discussions with home care service providers: representatives of the administration and social workers of social service centers or territorial centers of social services.