Following the recent situation regarding the Amavir nursing home in Tías, Primero Teguise assures that the work of the Island Council "has been called into question, generating concern among many families in Lanzarote". Beyond the specific case, the party indicates that "the importance of administrations frequently reviewing the operation of socio-health centers where our elderly live has been put on the table".
From Primero Teguise they consider that "this situation should also serve to look towards the municipality and verify that the nursing home located in Las Cabreras, on municipal land in Teguise, is operating with all the necessary guarantees". “That it is not a direct competence of the city council, does not exempt it from demanding good operation and responsibility".
The center, known as Doctor Domingo de Guzmán Residence, is part of the socio-health resource network of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and is currently managed by the company Mimara Residencial S.L., after the award of the management contract.
This residence is specialized in the care of elderly people with Alzheimer's or other dementias and has 24 residential places, in addition to a day center with an approximate capacity for 50 users, which makes it one of the most important socio-health resources in the municipality of Teguise.
“When we talk about a senior residence, we are talking about an essential service. It is not enough to wait for the supervision teams to act, even more so knowing that they have failed spectacularly. The municipal administration must actively take an interest in how that service is being provided,” explains Álvarez, councilor in the opposition.
The islander formation recalls that "the Teguise city council has the responsibility to ensure the correct functioning of the services provided on municipal land and that directly affect the quality of life of the residents". For that reason, they consider "necessary to know in detail the current situation of the center".
"What we are asking for is something very reasonable," Álvarez points out. "If the Cabildo's management fails, the city council must demand that the quality of the service be reported and investigated. As residents, we want to know the status of the management contract, if the staff is covered, if the workers' labor agreements are being met, and if the staff ratios are adequate to serve the residents," he continues.
From Primero Teguise they recall that "one of the problems detected in other residences on the island has been precisely the lack of sufficient staff to attend to users". For that reason they consider it "fundamental to check if the current staff is adequately sized to provide a dignified service".
“We have all seen what has happened recently at the Tías residence. There were also supervision mechanisms there, but it seems they were not able to detect the problems in time,” Álvarez points out. “Precisely for this reason, we believe that we cannot limit ourselves to trusting that everything works well without checking it," he continues.
Furthermore, the municipal group also wants to ascertain the actual condition of the facilities of the Las Cabreras residence and the use that is being made of some of its equipment. "We are aware that the center has infrastructures that could be utilized much more, such as for example a therapeutic pool that is not currently being used. When we talk about well-being for our elderly, we also talk about health, rehabilitation and quality of life within the center itself," explains the councilor.
In that sense, from Primero Teguise they consider that the city council "could play a more active role promoting cultural, social or intergenerational activities in the residence". “Not everything should be limited to care management. There are many cultural activities, workshops or municipal programs that could perfectly be transferred to the residence to enrich the daily lives of the residents,” Álvarez points out.
Therefore, the party proposes that from the municipal area for Seniors the possibility of developing a specific program be studied for the center, in collaboration with cultural associations, social groups or even educational centers of the municipality.
From Primero Teguise they insist that "this petition does not intend to generate alarm, but to guarantee that the service is provided with the quality that residents and their family deserve". “We do not want to wait for problems to appear to act. If we have learned anything from what happened in other residences, it is that transparency, supervision, and the involvement of administrations are fundamental. From this bad experience, we must all learn,” concludes Álvarez.