Grandfather 's Garden

There is a great demand for nursing homes in Russia
Polina Molotkova, AIF, 21.12.2011

Entrepreneur Nikolai Koblyakov realized this in 2006 . He was studying in France at the time, and his grandmother was getting old in Russia. She needed decent care, which was so easy to get in Europe and almost impossible in Russia.

Statistics suggested that this niche in our country is not just free, it is downright empty: in France, half of the nursing homes are private, and in Russia, even now, when this business has begun to develop, there are only 1% of them.

According to the analytical center of the company "Senior Group", in Europe there are 8-9 places in nursing homes per thousand people, and we have one. And there is a long queue behind this single bed!

Irina Shabut, the founder of a private nursing home in St. Petersburg, writes in her Internet blog that demand exceeds supply. According to her, she had to refuse 85% of customers – she simply could not provide so many places.
Love the elderly?

Nikolai Koblyakov filled all 7 rooms in his first boarding house for the elderly in two days, just by advertising on the radio. Rented a cottage in the Moscow region, equipped it. Now the company owns two such establishments in the Moscow region, two more – in Kirov and Kaliningrad – are open under a franchise. In the near future, we plan to create an entire network: in Russia, new partners who have become shareholders of the company will do this, and Nikolai will focus on Eastern Europe.

Starting this case, Koblyakov immediately turned to the French: not for money, but for experience. "We have to take into account a lot of requirements put forward by the state," says Olga Grebneva, executive director of the company. – In addition to the presence of a fire alarm in each room, it is important, for example, that the width of the corridors be at least 1.2 m, a wheelchair should pass through the doorways. According to European standards, it is also necessary to equip toilets in a special way. There should be handrails in all rooms, and ramps should be placed so that a wheelchair can move around the building independently."

However, French technologies for the care of the elderly had to be adapted to the Russian reality. Firstly, it was decided to focus on the clients of "dependent" – physically and mentally. That is, people who cannot be left alone at home. After all, in our country (with living children), handing over parents to a nursing home is considered a shameful act. Secondly, leisure programs have changed – not every Russian grandmother needs a daily manicure, communication is more important to her.

And, thirdly, it was necessary to create its own recruitment system. The main characters of domestic horror stories about such establishments are cruel and indifferent nannies. "Recruitment is the biggest problem," says Olga Grebneva. – It is very difficult to find people who really love the elderly. We employ only 5% of the applicants. All new employees are trained in our boarding houses. And then they live there, in a separate building. It creates a sense of family. And it's easier to control the staff this way: no one needs a nurse to come to work with us after a night shift in the hospital. We do not believe that a person can stay awake for 24 hours, so no one works for us for days. And salaries, of course, are much higher than in state institutions."

Since each guest has an average of 2.1 employees, grandparents have no time to be bored: even those who are unable to remember what day of the week it is, are constantly busy with something: singing, sculpting, drawing, receiving guests.
Whose concern is it?

Of course, their children and grandchildren have to pay for such high-quality care. "We try to ensure that our price corresponds to the amount allocated from the budget for each resident of the state nursing home," says O. Grebneva. – In Moscow, this is an average of 70 thousand rubles per month, in Kirov and Kaliningrad – 15-20 thousand rubles." A lot of money! Why, with such expenses in state-owned houses, not only songs with dances, but even diapers will not wait?

By the way, in the same France there are private boarding houses, the stay in which the state pays for the elderly – this is even more profitable than maintaining state-owned institutions. And the business is developing, and the grandparents are happy. This is still a rarity with us. N. Koblyakova's company has already managed to win a tender from the Moscow authorities for the provision of patronage services at home. But the same Irina Shabut her "grandfather's house" was forced to temporarily close. "The state, by and large, does not care whether this socially oriented business will develop or not," Irina writes in her blog. – We are ready to take on its function – to create decent conditions for the elderly. But we can't get any space, loans, or any rental benefits."

In a few years, the number of Russians over the age of 80 will grow several times – to about 6 million. In Europe, it was calculated: at this age, every tenth person needs professional help. The state will simply have to turn to private owners.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru
21.12.2011