Every day, 25 Catalans die on the waiting list for a nursing home.
Dependency professionals warn that administrations are offering low-cost services to offset the increase in users.
BarcelonaIn the first nine months of this year, an average of 25 dependent people on the waiting list for assessment or benefits have died every day in Catalonia. According to data published this Friday by the State Observatory for Dependency, up to October 1, 6,851 Catalans have died without any institutional response to their needs, a figure that represents one in four of the 25,000 dependent people who have died across the country.
The report, prepared by the Association of Directors and Managers in Social Services, indicates that with almost 82,000 people, Catalonia continues to lead the ranking of communities with the longest waiting list to enter a public residence or receive home help, for example, despite the fact that the Department of Social Rights has speed up the procedures for the valuationFor example, a GP report is no longer required, forms have been simplified, and a simulation plan has been activated in case families want to know if there are possibilities of a dependency assessment before requesting any assistance.
Based on data from the Imserso (National Institute of Social Security), the study quantifies that there are 284,020 people on lists across Spain, 13,700 more than at the beginning of this year. Specifically, 133,414 are awaiting assessment and 150,606 are waiting for benefits and services that have been granted to them. There are around 9,000 Catalans in this state of uncertainty who, without institutional assistance, are left with the only option of receiving family care or assuming the cost of professional caregivers.
For the association's professional body, although almost all communities comply by increasing the number of beneficiaries in the dependency system, they note that this is done through cheaper benefits and reducing places in residences (804 fewer) and day centers (969).
251 days of delay
Two out of three of those waiting in line are in five regions: Catalonia, Andalusia (51,547 people), the Valencian Community (29,747 people), the Canary Islands (25,755), and Murcia (16,348).
Regarding waiting times, the Observatory notes that Catalonia is in the middle of the national ranking, with a delay of 251 days from the time of application to receiving the corresponding benefit. The national average is almost three months longer, although Andalusia, Murcia, and the Canary Islands extend the process by more than a year and a half.
