The State Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services denounces that despite the increase in residential places after the pandemic, its deficit continues to increase and 85,814 more are already needed to meet the standard of 5 per 100 people over 65 years of age, while placing the Canary Islands among the regions with the fewest publicly funded places for the elderly.
The association has analyzed the latest Imserso report on residential resources, according to which between 2021 and 2022 the number of places for people over 65 increased by 9,541, to 198,575, while the population of that age group grew by 380,575 people.
According to their calculations, if in 2014 53,103 places were needed to cover the 5% ratio. Now that figure rises to 85,814, 4.11%.
And to cover the entire demand of people with severe dependency (Grade II) or highly dependent (Grade III), at least 30,000 places would be needed.
The only autonomous communities that meet the ratio of places are Castilla y León, with a surplus of 17,234; Castilla-La Mancha, 7,010; Aragón, 5,043; Extremadura, 3,888; Asturias, 1,274, and La Rioja, 37.
The main deficits, on the other hand, continue to be those of Andalusia (32,670), Valencian Community (24,843) and Galicia (13,850).
67.9% of the places are publicly funded (including those contracted in private or those financed with the benefit linked to the service), which implies a slight increase compared to the levels of 2015 and a ratio of 2.79 per 100 people over 65 years of age, a ratio that had not been reached until now.
Also in this case, the Communities with the highest coverage of publicly funded places are Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha, followed by Extremadura and Aragón. On the other hand, the autonomous communities with the fewest publicly funded places are the Canary Islands, Murcia and the Valencian Community.
