VІ. SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE In 2013 the NPM team carried out planned and ad-hoc inspections of 18 homes for specialised social care for elderly people (homes for elderly people with mental retardation, homes for elderly people with mental disorders, homes for demented elderly people). Unfortunately the negative conclusions that the National Preventive Mechanism stated in its 2012 report with respect to these services, reaffirm themselves as a trend in the state policy related to the care for these vulnerable groups. This conclusion is the reason for just concerns in the NPM even more due to the fact that according to data from the specialised institutions themselves and the statistics in the country, the number of the users of these services is approximately equal to the number of people applying to use them. The significant number of elderly people needing social services is a prerequisite (and in some cases has resulted in) realisation by the state and local authorities that the significance of the resident service is an excuse in the cases of neglect in the care for the elderly people. Living conditions There are many places where the physical assets for the resident services have not been brought in line with the requirements of the regulations in this area. For example, 52 users of the services at the Home for Demented Elderly People (HDEP) in Gorsko Kosovo Village are accommodated in 11 bedrooms in total. The physical assets are depreciated, in poor general condition. The users are not provided with sufficient personal space, cabinet and wardrobe due to the shortage of space in the rooms, which is a violation of the provisions of art. 40f, item 2 and item 4 of the Rules on the Implementation of the Social Assistance Law (RISAL). The condition of room No 11 is particularly bad, where there are 3 beds in a very limited space. There is no room for cabinets for personal belongings in the room, the plaster on the walls is peeling and there are visible bare cables. Chairs, tables and a TV are placed in the corridor in front of the rooms and the corridor is used simultaneously as games room and canteen. There is a canteen on the first floor but it is not used for this purpose. No bell system has been put into place (panic buttons) in violation of the provisions of art. 40f, item 3 of the RISAL. No security is available in the home to control the admission regime for visitors, and there is no CCTV system as well. The home has one car which is not suitable to transport people with disabilities. Care for the social service users and vision for the development of the social services for elderly people During the visit to the HDEP in Opanets Village the NPM found that most of the users stay in the building, they do not go out, they are not taken out in the yard. During the 28