The village of Govedartsi became the scene of another operation against illegal homes for the elderly.
At exactly 10:30 p.m., all 23 residents of the so-called “Villa Bor Spa Tourism and Recreation Residence“ were taken out by the authorities and temporarily accommodated in the hospital in Samokov, the local administration announced.
The operation started on Sunday evening, after a report was filed to the 112 hotline about alarming living conditions in the facility. Teams of the police, social services, representatives of the Samokov Municipality and the Agency for the Control of Social Services immediately arrived at the scene.
The inspection revealed that the building was operating without the necessary permits and documents, and was officially registered as a tourist villa, not as a home for the elderly. “Immediately after the signal, we took joint action with the ODMVR – Sofia Region.
Pre-trial proceedings and an investigation are currently underway“, said Chief Inspector Vasil Popov, Head of the RU – Samokov. He stressed that no evidence of forced detention or mistreatment of the residents has been found, and the case cannot be compared to the tragedy in the village of Yagoda.
Among the elderly people accommodated in Govedartsi there are people with serious health problems – dementia, strokes, even a person with an untreated bleeding wound for a year and a half, revealed Deputy Mayor Veneta Galeva. She added that eight of the residents will be moved to municipal homes - five in Kovachevtsi and three in the Samokov nursing home.
The investigation found that the hospice in Govedartsi is run by the same people who are behind the infamous “house of horrors“ in the village of Yagoda, where 75 elderly people were found in appalling conditions a few days ago.
Deputy Social Minister Ivan Krastev confirmed the connection between the two sites and stressed that the existence of a wider network of illegal nursing homes is being investigated. “Some of the people said that they were placed here by their relatives, who assured them that they were going on vacation.
One woman said that her granddaughter brought her here in February with the promise of a vacation“, Veneta Galeva also said. The investigation continues, and the institutions are adamant that all measures will be taken to end the practices with illegal homes for the elderly in the region. **Keywords:** Govedartsi home for the elderly, illegal hospice, Yagoda house of horrors, social services, police action, investigation, conditions in the homes, Samokov, illegal homes for the elderly