Old Peoples’ Home in Boka, Serbia
In many rural areas of the Balkans, older people have been deserted by both the state and their own families. They were abandoned in their homes, or evicted onto the streets, forced to freeze and starve in complete isolation. In 1997, the local parish priest of Boka, Father Tibor Koncz - at considerable pains to himself - took the initiative to set up a parish Home, as a solution to this misery. It initially offered a home with basic healthcare, food and sense of community to its 12 nonagenarian residents. It is a remarkable place, inspired and run with the warmth, boundless energy and Christian charity of Father Tibor and his parish.
However, the Home is the only one of its kind in the area, and its capacity and facilities were woefully inadequate. The need for this community support activity is increasing as the shock waves of the war and ensuing poverty increase, money reserves for many are drying up and the younger generation leave their parents to find work elsewhere. The Home is constantly filled to capacity and has a waiting list of potential entrants. The existing level of infrastructure and renovation left a lot to be desired (e.g. one loo for 14 inhabitants) and there is an increasing need to secure the capacity and infrastructure of the building if it is to remain in use. In 2002, a project was conceived with several aims: secure the basic infrastructure of the Home (including upgraded sanitary facilities), optimise the use of space on the plot, increase capacity of the Home, ensure capacity to carer ratio optimised by meeting minimum efficient criteria and increase the active engagement in social works of the local catholic church.
So an architect - instructed by the Order of Malta- developed plans on the potential extension of the Home. The remit expected the use of the original buildings and a development that would increase capacity and offer (1) a higher quality of infrastructure, (2) complied to minimum hygiene expectations (3) a more professional concept for the infrastructure and maintenance for the Home. The new plans recommended an extension to the existing building of a further eight rooms with two beds in each (doubling capacity) and including more washing and WC facilities.
Once the extension is build, the residents will temporarily move into the new section, to allow for a renovation of the old part. This was financed by the FAS in 2002/2003 and on completion the house is now a home to 26 people and now has recreation rooms, kitchen and 3 bath/wash/WC rooms.