Pressure to approve the reform of the dependency law: "Our dignity and future depend on it"

Barcelona"Now or never". About twenty social and citizen entities are calling for the reform of the dependency law that is being processed in Congress to speed up so that it is approved before the end of the legislature, given the fear that, in the next one, the balance of power in the chamber will shift in a way that makes it impossible to maintain the positive spirit that exists now, but which is "insufficient". The associations have gathered under the banner of the Platform for Autonomy and Dignified Life to demand that the right to care at all life stages and the recognition of caregivers, whether professional or family, be kept "out of political negotiations".

In 2024, Congress gave the green light to the reform of the dependency law –the result of the combination of the disability and dependency laws—, and for the Platform, it is moving in the right direction of putting "the person at the center" and recognizing the right to remain in one's home and have dignified care. "It goes beyond a place in a residence," said Aurora Huerga, head of the CCOO retirees federation, at a press conference.

But even though the reform process is moving forward, the Platform insisted this Wednesday that "now is the time" to "pressure" deputies so that they do not slow down the process and are able to finalize the new legislative framework that, for the first time, automatically establishes a degree of dependency for anyone recognized with a 33% disability.

Currently, disability and dependency degrees are independent, and one can have a disability without a degree of dependency and vice versa. Josep Salas, from Marea de Pensionistes, has encouraged society "to get actively involved" so that the reform does not get stuck. "Our lives, dignity, and future depend on it," he assured.

For the platform, it is essential that the law does not repeat the same mistakes made twenty years ago with the dependency law, which was born underfunded and has accumulated waiting lists of over a year to access public portfolio services.

Every day, about thirty Catalans die waiting to be assigned a public residence place or to receive a pension. For this reason, they demand that investment in dependency increase from the current 0.4% of GDP to 2%, with the aim of reversing the deficit accumulated by the cuts of more than 5,000 million euros that were made between 2012 and 2018, according to María José Carcelén from the Coordinator of Families of Residences 5+1.

More telecare

Among the novelties included in the reform, there is the recognition of telecare as a universal right for all dependent persons, the right of each user to decide on the benefits and services they receive, the expansion of benefits to caregivers, neighbors, and friends (not just family) so they can care for the beneficiary of the law, and the elimination of the waiting period that forgives the administration from paying the benefit if the wait extends for two years.

Precisely, the Cura Plan that the Generalitat has presented this week follows this line, but for Carcelén, neither the simplification of administrative acts for grade assessment nor the designation of the benefit in just sixty days "solves the problem," as the program does not address waiting lists for residences nor does it venture to modify the home care service.

"Public residences with public management are needed," insisted Salas. For the activist, the 200 euros that are expected to be paid to people with grade III who are waiting for a residence is entirely insufficient, considering that "a private place in Barcelona costs an average of 2,400 euros".