The Nizhny Novgorod Region is about to become the first territory of the Russian Federation that will implement the protection of rights’ system for persons with mental disabilities focused on man, rights, individual needs, safety, and wellbeing.

On January 22, during the working visit of Anton O. Kotiakov, Minister of Labor and Social Policies of the Russian Federation to the Nizhny Novgorod Region, a meeting regarding the realization of this project was held at the Ponetaievsky Psychoneurologic Long-Term Care Facility.

His Eminence Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, Hegumenia Sergiya, the abbess of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, and Nyuta Federmesser, Adviser to the Governor on Social Policies, took part in the meeting.

Before the meeting, the participants were shown around the medical facilities, met with staff and the center’s elderly and disabled residents who partially or fully lost the independent living skills.

The federal minister expressed appreciation of the Ponetaievsky center’s work calling it exemplary: “The prevailing atmosphere here is what we have to strive to achieve elsewhere at other centers.”

The long-term care facility was housed on the premises of former Seraphim Ponetaievsky monastery since 1925. Beginning from 1998, the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery was in charge of its operation and one of its sketes is also located there. Psychologist Maria Sysneva, Curator of “Just the People” Fund, singled out this particular feature and said: “The walls of the monastery do help. It is likely the only facility of this kind where we received zero personnel performance complaints; it is the first and only case in my practice.”