Natalia Loimoeva, "Comprehensive Center for Social Services of the Republic of Karelia"

Natalia Loimoeva is an employee of the "Comprehensive Center for Social Services of the Republic of Karelia" and the winner of a professional development competition for specialists in the field of social sports with the project "Towards Health and Longevity".

The "Comprehensive Center for Social Services of the Republic of Karelia" provides social and health services to elderly citizens, disabled people, including children with disabilities, and people facing complex life situations.

Since 2019, Natalia has held the position of the Head of the Organizational and Methodological Department at the center. Her primary tasks are focused on improving the quality and range of social services provided to individuals seeking social assistance or already receiving social support.

The desire to help people is a strong motivator for Natalia. To achieve this, one must always stay updated on innovations in the social sphere and continuously enhance their professional competences. The results of the work also serve as inspiration: when you see that everything has succeeded, both specialists and beneficiaries experience positive emotions.

The team of the "Center for Social Services" strives to develop new directions in their work and improve the material and technical base of the institution. Doing so without additional financial support is quite challenging, which is why the specialists constantly monitor charitable foundation competitions and activities, including ones held by the Vladimir Potanin Foundation.

In 2021, when preparing an application to participate in the professional development competition for specialists in the field of social sports organized by the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, a direction for supporting professional development of specialists was chosen. Since 2019, the "Comprehensive Center for Social Services of the Republic of Karelia" has been implementing the "Health and Longevity" program aimed at preserving and strengthening the health of elderly people and individuals of pre-retirement age, as well as involving them in active social life. Within the framework of the program, various activities are conducted for the elderly, including physical and health-improvement sessions, memory preservation workshops, and informative and recreational events. With each passing year, the number of activity areas has been increasing, often driven by the requests and needs of the elderly citizens themselves.

As part of the project "Towards Health and Longevity," supported by the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, specialists have planned to train adaptive physical fitness instructors in the technique of Nordic walking for sessions with older adults, as there has been a demand for such activities among the residents of the Republic.

Nordic walking sessions are one of the most effective methods for improving health. However, despite many people "walking with poles", the nuances of doing it correctly are known only to professionals. By adhering to the proper techniques, one can achieve maximum positive effects from walking. The specialists of the "Center for Social Services" were convinced that the quality of the sessions should be high, therefore, the professional competencies of the specialists and the equipment should match this level.

The implementation of the project has overall improved the quality of services provided and introduced a new direction in working with elderly individuals. Today, Nordic walking sessions are organized in 15 districts of Karelia, and the number of beneficiaries continues to grow. Also, Natalia has managed to accomplish one of her key professional tasks – contributing to the enhancement of her colleagues' professional competencies.