Boarding homes are public houses for hundreds of people with mental and physical disabilities, for the ill, the homeless, and the elderly
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Gordon Welters / Laif
There are several departments at a boarding house: a rehabilitation center where patients can work and study; a department for wheelchair-bound patients and those born with birth defects; a men's ward; and a department for senior citizens and learning-impaired individuals (for example, those with severe mental handicaps).
Gordon Welters / Laif
People with handicaps are vulnerable in every country, but in the West they're usually treated more carefully than in Russia. Here, they’re mostly outcasts. And there is a lack of buzz around their problems in the media.
Gordon Welters / Laif
Visitors to the boarding house leave it with mixed emotions. On the one hand, these people are sick, on the other many of them are very friendly, kind-hearted and completely capable of leading a normal life.
Gordon Welters / Laif
“They receive a pension for disabilities, save money, and then head off to the shops with the caregivers. Some people buy gadgets, others buy clothes. They can get some clothes at the boarding house for free, but its quality is not high,” explains the caregiver.
Gordon Welters / Laif
There are also occasions when patients fully adjusted to live on their own leave the boarding house. Some manage to live on their own, others return.
Gordon Welters / Laif
One caregiver tells how some patients make declarations that it's better out in the free world. But those who have a clearer idea of things answer back, “Do you know how to live out there? Try paying for everything yourself and we’ll see.” They ask the caregiver how much utilities cost and are horrified by the amount. They understand that living here is easier.
Gordon Welters / Laif
"They understand that they're living in a boarding house, not their own home. Some of them understand that they're different. Maybe it's easier for the ones who don't comprehend this," the caregiver opines.
Gordon Welters / Laif
It's not easy to guess patients' age the first time round. For many here, it's as if they've been "preserved". The same thing happens to their intellect. It stops at a certain level that it won't go any further. For a lot of people, once they reach 30, their minds start to deteriorate.
Gordon Welters / Laif
"It's hard to understand what [the patients] want at first. But after you've worked here for many years, you know each of them and understand what they're saying," the caregiver tells.
Gordon Welters / Laif
"Our patients should always be occupied with something. That leaves less time for foolishness. Sports, walks, nature trips are all an important component of their life. It allows them to expend any pent-up energy and set new goals for themselves. Of course, there are some lazy bones among them just like there are among all other people," says the caregiver.
Gordon Welters / Laif
"Our permanent residents are very sensitive. If one of them dies, it's a tragedy for everybody else," the caregiver shares.
Gordon Welters / Laif
This one differs in its approach to its residents. The differently-abled are helped using work therapy, which allows many of them to learn a profession and a job. In addition, the boarding houses also features a department for social adaptation.
Gordon Welters / Laif
This boarding house is located in the outskirts of a Saint Petersburg district.
Gordon Welters / Laif
Provided with basic necessities, some of the residents stay in their beds all day long.
Gordon Welters / Laif
Boarding homes are public houses for hundreds of people with mental and physical disabilities, for the ill, the homeless, and the elderly.
!["It's hard to understand what [the patients] want at first. But after you've worked here for many years, you know each of them and understand what they're saying," the caregiver tells.](https://cdn.tsrus.cn/1960x-/all/2014/0406/37697/8.jpg)
