With no one to help and limited financial resources, Henny van Ravensberg (82) from Rijsenhout has been struggling with housework for a year. Her home help suddenly stopped showing up. Now the same thing is happening to neighbor Marijke Sturing (77).
The two Rijsenhout neighbors were suddenly able to whistle to their domestic help – NH News
Someone came to visit the neighbors every week and vacuumed the floor, scrubbed the toilet and cleaned the bathroom. Suddenly the household help stopped coming.
“I felt abandoned,” says Henny van Ravensberg (82). She has not received domestic help from the municipality for over a year. She does not dare to say with certainty which care provider she should receive help from. “From one day to the next, no one showed up anymore. The worst thing for me is that I never received any notice.”
Her own health makes it difficult to do the housework herself. She had a cerebral infarction and a pacemaker. She also cared for him until the death of her husband, who had dementia. “That was tough,” she says. “But I still had someone I could sit on the couch with in the evening.”
No more help
Neighbor Marijke Sturing (77) has now been without domestic help for a month. She received a call in December from the ZorgSamen housekeeping service. The help from the housekeeping service will stop immediately, the employee said.
For eight years she could count on the same faithful domestic help, but now she suddenly had to solve it herself. “I especially don’t understand why something like this is only communicated at the last minute,” says Marijke.
ZorgSamen stopped providing domestic help in Haarlemmermeer because it was difficult to plan the help efficiently, an employee of this domestic service explained to NH.
The healthcare provider had too few clients and employees in Haarlemmermeer. The distance between the places of residence in the municipality was also too great, because the cleaners often had to travel by bicycle.
The ZorgSamen employee told Marijke that she had been transferred to Tzorg, another household service. Marijke called the care provider, but he turned out not to be aware of this.
“If I have to do it myself, I won’t be human the next day”
Marijke realized that from now on she too will have to clean her house herself, just like her neighbor Henny. Only that doesn’t work. “If I have to do it myself, I won’t be human the next day.”
The neighbors also have no friends or family who can help with the housework. Marijke’s one daughter has died and the other has severe rheumatism. “She is happy if she can manage at home a bit,” she says about her daughter.
“My granddaughter recently came by again,” Henny says about this valuable moment. “She asked if she had to vacuum, but I would rather she just sit with me.”
Making ends meet
Hiring someone every week is also not an option for the neighbors. Both make ends meet every month. “That’s just not possible,” Marijke emphasizes. She has to live on her state pension and a small amount of pension.
Henny hires someone once a month to clean for 2.5 hours. There is no one to help for the rest of the month. However, she does pay 20.60 euros monthly to the municipality for the domestic help who has not shown up for more than a year.
There is a national shortage of staff among providers, while the demand for domestic help through the municipality has increased significantly. This increase is related to the introduction of the subscription rate for the Social Support Act (Wmo) in 2019.
Under pressure
Households that need help can get it for a fixed rate of 20.60 euros per month, regardless of their income or assets. This subscription rate makes help through the municipality cheaper than if residents request help themselves. This puts pressure on the accessibility of Wmo facilities, especially for groups that have a low income or cannot rely on informal caregivers.
If a resident has not had domestic help, but has used another Wmo provision, the personal contribution of 20.60 euros must still be paid.
This personal contribution also continues if no care is provided for a short period, says the spokesperson for the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. In situations where no care is provided for more than two months, the care provider or resident can contact the municipality to pause the personal contribution.
Marijke sees many people in her area with the same problem, but they often have the money to hire private help. According to Marijke, these are often people who do not speak Dutch and are therefore not hired by agencies such as Tzorg. “The municipality should ensure that they learn the Dutch language.”
Deserted
One thing is clear to the neighbors: this cannot continue. “It is not possible that there are so many elderly people who need help so badly and are not receiving help,” Marijke continues. “The elderly are simply being abandoned.”
The municipality of Haarlemmermeer is aware of the problem. “Providing help with household chores to residents who have an indication for this and staff shortages in healthcare is a precarious balance,” says the municipality spokesperson.
That is why Haarlemmermeer has chosen to work with more areas since July, so that healthcare providers do not have to travel throughout Haarlemmermeer. In addition, the municipality works with an availability guide, where the waiting time per provider is monitored and transparent.
Change
Depending on the area and the healthcare provider, the waiting time varies. In each area there are providers who have a short waiting time of zero to two weeks. This can be taken into account when choosing a healthcare provider.
The municipality, together with the Wmo consultant, examines how long the waiting lists for household services are and then determines with which care provider the clients should be placed.
If a resident is not satisfied with the support they receive from a provider, they can switch to another care provider. The resident can contact the municipality for this.
Marijke has good news. After NH contacted Tzorg about Marijke’s situation, she received a call from this housekeeping service. Because she has been transferred by ZorgSamen, she is given priority on the waiting list. From now on, a domestic helper will come by again on Monday mornings. “That really lifts my heart,” she says.
To get good domestic help for Henny, the neighbors will contact the municipality again.
Do you know or are you someone from North Holland who is entitled to domestic help from the municipality and is experiencing problems with this? Please contact [email protected].