In Lanzarote, there are 124 people on the waiting list to get a place in residential and day centers, despite having the maximum degree of dependency recognized, according to data from the Cabildo of Lanzarote, collected by a report from the Deputy of the Common.
Specifically, 67 elderly people and their families wait day after day for a call that does not arrive, a call that confirms that they can finally enter a residential center; while another 37 remain on the list to enter day centers. In addition, 20 people with intellectual disabilities are also in this situation.
However, the total number of dependents waiting for this service is much higher, since those who have recognized Grade III (severe dependency) are joined by those who have Grades I and II (moderate and severe dependency), as well as those people who continue in the "endless" battle for their medical recognition.
In addition, the report indicates that Canarians request dependency less than in other communities because “they do not trust the system”. “Many wonder why I am going to ask for it if it never arrives, although there may also be a lack of knowledge of the aid and procedures or inability to process it,” explained Felipe Afonso El Jaber, first deputy of the institution.
Currently in Lanzarote there are 616 places in residential and day centers spread throughout the geography of the island, which are insufficient for the demand.
The construction of the new center returns to square one
To alleviate this situation, the Cabildo of Lanzarote initiated a project to build a socio-sanitary center for the elderly, which would have 130 places of high-requirement residence and a day center, with 50 more places, included in the II Infrastructure Plan of the Canary Islands.
However, despite the fact that this project was in the rectification phase by the awarded company in December 2021, it is far from becoming a reality. The Cabildo decided to resolve the contract and proceed to a new award last March due to the “continuous breaches” by UTE Residenza Sanitaria, the company that had been awarded.
It was estimated that the new socio-sanitary center, which had a budget of 18,882,584 euros between execution and essential equipment, would see the light in a period of 18 months, a period that will inevitably be extended much longer in time, after returning to square one.
In addition, it is important to mention that the report of the Deputy of the Common does not confirm that these new planned places cover the real needs of citizens detected in Lanzarote, and emphasizes that an estimate has not been made of the number of centers or places that should be created, since the figures reflected in the report could be much higher due to the slow process of medical recognition suffered by these people.
“There is a significant inequality in the growth of services and places of residence for the elderly and disability between the different islands, even to the point that, on the island of Lanzarote, there are no specific services for the care of people with physical disabilities,” say from the Professional Association of Social Work of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Canary Islands, the shame of Spain in terms of dependency
The situation in Lanzarote is not an exception in the archipelago, and the deputy of the common concludes that "in the Canary Islands the fundamental rights of dependent people are violated".
With a per capita expenditure less than half of the Spanish average, the Canary Islands face waiting lists of 45 months, nine daily deaths of those affected who have not received benefits and a deficit of 8,500 residential places, so the institution points out that the situation is "serious".
According to the latest report they had issued, corresponding to 2020, the waiting time was 927 days, but now it is placed at 1,350.
"Increasing the budget for dependency is one of the most obvious conclusions, but also improving the organization, facilitating collaboration between administrations and promoting socio-sanitary residences that are closer and more humane," insists El Jaber.
