Nine million euros for the elderly of La Matanza

The island president Pedro Martin (PSOE)stressed “the effort that is made to care for the most vulnerable” and the Cabildo’s commitment to move towards a model of smaller centers for the elderly, where overcrowding is avoided and a commitment is made to promote coexistence and autonomy, ” also with measures such as the promotion of telecare and specialized home help. The House of the Elders of La Matanza it is expanded, but it will continue to be a relatively small center, with some 99 residential places, “adapted to the needs of the 21st century and far from the old concept of asylum”, and with “almost hospitable” care.

Peter Martin He insisted that the Cabildo works to “change the way in which we care for the elderly and establish a new coexistence model, in which people are at the center, with services adapted to their realities and needs, and not the other way around” . Apart from La Matanza, the insular administration is working on similar projects in Arico, Santa Úrsula or La Orotava.

Ignatius Rodriguez He highlighted the public nature of these care places for the elderly. In his opinion, “the most important thing is that we have signed an agreement that will cover many elderly people who, without these public places, would not have the economic possibility of accessing the quality care they deserve.” In addition, he recalled that the House for the Elderly began to be built in 1994 and that, due to the bankruptcy of the Federation of the Elderly of the Canary Islands (Femac), was closed between 2010 and 2016.

The agreement was signed by Martín and Rodríguez, in the presence of the director of the Dependency Care Unit of the Social and Socio-Health Care Institute, Beatrice Duran, who explained that this project is “one more step towards that change in the care model for the elderly”. The agreement provides that the Cabildo contribute 8.9 million euros to carry out the works in four annual installments (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025). The City Council cedes the site and contributes 620,000 euros for the urbanization of the access road and complementary actions.

The center will grow by 4,445 square meters, which means doubling its current size with a new building at a lower level, connected by a bridge. There will be new common spaces, rooms adapted to the new care model advocated by the Cabildo and the comprehensive rehabilitation center of a regional nature, equipped with an indoor pool.

The architect responsible for the project explained yesterday that the building “has been conceived in the most ecological and sustainable way”, so it will have reinforced thermal insulation and a photovoltaic solar power generation plant of about 80 kilowatts, expandable to 100. The extension will not break with the current concept of the first building, of about 2,000 square meters, “which will not lose its prominence nor will it stop housing the main entrance”.