
Impulss: mis elu elavad oma koju lõksu jäänud eakad?
Impulse: What life do the elderly trapped in their homes live?
Nii Tallinnas elav Mare Abner kui ka tapalane Helgi Aavistu on terve elu olnud aktiivsed naised. Nüüd, kui mõlemal proual terendab 80. sünnipäev, on nad olukorras, kus nad on sisuliselt oma koduseinte vahel lõksus. ETV saade 'Impulss' uuris, mida selline elu tähendab.
Both Mare Abner, who lives in Tallinn, and Helgi Aavistu from Tapa have been active women all their lives. Now, as both ladies approach their 80th birthdays, they find themselves in a situation where they are essentially trapped within the walls of their homes. The ETV show 'Impulse' explored what such a life means.
One night in August 2017, Helgi Aavistu fell at home. She felt one side of her body go numb. The woman was saved by a phone, with which she called 112. Doctors and rescue services arrived. They took Helgi to Tallinn by ambulance. Helgi said: 'I was saved because I was taken to Tallinn.'
Helgi spent two months in the hospital. After the hospital, she returned to an empty apartment. Her children live abroad. A social worker brought her food once a week. Neighbor Viivika Kattago also helped. Viivika cleaned and brought newspapers. Helgi used crutches to move around. But one day the crutch slipped and Helgi fell. After that, she replaced the crutches with a rollator. Helgi said: 'I no longer went outside because I live on the fourth floor.'
Five months ago, Helgi had another stroke. She fell at the dinner table and lay on the floor all night. In the morning, she called the social worker. The worker came with a neighbor and an ambulance. The ambulance lifted Helgi off the floor but did not take her to the hospital. Helgi said: 'They didn't do anything more.'
Mare Abner is 79 years old. She has lived with a mobility impairment. She has fought for the rights of people with disabilities for years. A year and a half ago, Mare was injured. She fell down the stairs and broke her arm. Since then, she has not been able to use the stairs. Mare cannot leave the house independently. Her daughter Janika Paulus helps her. Mare tried to find solutions to get out of the apartment independently. A lift to the balcony would be expensive. A stairlift would be cheaper, but even that is too expensive for Mare.
Mare cannot access the balcony because the door is narrow and the threshold is high. The local government is willing to help financially, but Mare has to arrange everything herself. Janika said that no real help was received from the city. Currently, the municipality provides Mare with home care. She is brought food three times a week, and a cleaner helps keep the house tidy.
Helgi Aavistu now lives in a nursing home in Tapa. She is safe there. But both Helgi and Mare believe that moving to a nursing home should be the last option. Mare said: 'Many elderly people are trapped in their homes because their buildings lack elevators.'