no. 35/1997, republished. Considering the appeals found in practice, as centres in the social assistance system claim that they do not have to be included among the places subject to monitoring of the Field regarding prevention of torture (NPM), in the following we mention the reasons for their monitoring by the NPM, by making reference to some monitoring visits undertaken in such centres by NPMs in other countries: ♦ the NPM of Montenegro (2015) monitored the observance of the rights of elderly people, inspecting accommodation and other conditions in the Bijelo Polje Home and sent its report to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, with two recommendations to improve the existing conditions, i.e.: ● assemble a rooftop in the yard to protect against sunlight and precipitations; ● provide conditions for the accommodation of persons with dementia that are able to move. A visit to check the implementation of recommendations was performed in November 2016, and it was found that they had not been met. Thus, the beneficiaries complained about the faulty heating. The NPM team informed the management that these people are highly sensitive to improper room temperatures. Furthermore, the pavement of the corridors was damaged and had to be replaced urgently, since beneficiaries could fall and be hurt. ♦ the NPM of Bulgaria (2016): during its 2016 visits, NPM established that retirement homes hosted many beneficiaries. This led to the conclusion that an alternative to institutional care was not available. Such social services were located away from large cities, which, combined with the absence of transportation, prevented the access of qualified specialists. The negative findings included the absence of an access ramp for persons with walking disabilities in some retirement homes, insufficient sleeping areas and bathrooms, the absence of panic buttons. An insufficient number of positions (speech therapist, psychologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist) was found in almost all homes, which raised doubts regarding the high quality of care for the accommodated persons. The visits performed in 2016 showed that medical services were provided in improper conditions. Thus: 36