The Canary Islands ended the year with 2,306 individuals passing away while on the waiting list, with an additional 6,000 individuals receiving care.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE/MADRID, 11 March. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The dependency limbo – individuals entitled to benefits but not receiving them – decreased by 14.5% in the Canary Islands last year, totaling 2,073 individuals. However, the region still maintains the highest rate in the country at 26.5%, affecting 12,165 people as per the XXIV State Dependency Observatory report released by the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services.
A total of 2,306 individuals on the waiting list passed away without receiving assistance, while the number of beneficiaries increased by 6,000, marking a 17.29% rise from the previous year, significantly higher than the national average increase of 7.49% in other regions.
The implementation of the shock plan, which saw an investment of 32.5 million Euros from the State, resulted in the creation of 1,300 new job roles.
The Canary Islands concluded the year with 7,292 new benefits, with 40% allocated towards economic benefits (PECEF) and 27% towards service benefits (PEVS).
The service benefits now account for 30.4% of the Canarian service offering – in comparison to the national figure of 11.04% – catering to over 13,962 dependent individuals receiving care at an average monthly cost of 343.22 Euros in forms of residential care and Home Help.
The total direct costs for benefits and services management in 2023 amounted to 261.59 million Euros, with 47% funded by the autonomous community, 33.3% by the State, and 19.6% by users.
Continuing at the current growth rate, it is estimated to take an additional five years to attend to the 12,165 individuals in dependency limbo.
Moreover, 10,193 individuals who have applied for assessment await a resolution on their status.
The Canary Islands still exhibit low percentages in essential services such as telecare (5.6%) and almost nonexistent direct home assistance (1.5%). However, it is worth noting that 9,328 PEVS were indeed allocated to the ‘Home Help’ subtype.
The average public expenditure per dependent individual in the Canary Islands stands at 4,768.2 Euros, demonstrating a considerable gap from the national average of 6,103.4 Euros, marking a difference of -21.9% that has been widening since 2021.
Public spending per inhabitant amounts to 84 Euros, highlighting a disparity exceeding 91 Euros (-52%) due to the limited coverage rate in the Canary Islands, standing at 18.69 PIAS per 1,000 inhabitants – the lowest in the country compared to the national average of 29.74.
Nationally, nearly 180,000 (179,244) individuals are awaiting long-term care, signifying a reduction of 21,008 from the previous year, with 40,447 individuals succumbing while waiting for assistance over the past year.
Should the current pace be maintained, it will take approximately 8.5 years to achieve comprehensive coverage.
According to data accessed by Europa Press, there are 117,181 individuals awaiting evaluation, showing a decrease of 14,623 from the previous year, resulting in a total of 296,431 individuals lacking assistance, which is 36,671 fewer than in 2022.
Furthermore, 46.2% of the care-deprived individuals (82,817) exhibit a degree of dependency classified as Grades III or II, indicating extensive and continuous support requirements.
The average processing time for a case stands at 324 days, with four regions exceeding 12 months (Canary Islands, Andalusia, Murcia, and Galicia). Only five territories are within or near to the six-month limit established by law for case processing: the Basque Country, Castilla y León, Navarra, Cantabria, and Ceuta.
111 Dependent Individuals Die Daily Without Assistance
Between December 2022 and November 2023, 40,447 individuals passed away while on the dependency waiting list, with 18,454 individuals awaiting a dependency degree resolution and 21,993 individuals unable to exercise their entitled rights due to dependency.
This leads to more than 111 dependent individuals passing away daily without receiving the benefits or services they require.
Additionally, within the same timeframe, 220,100 deceased individuals with pending dependency requests were registered in the System for Autonomy and Dependency Care. Of these deceased individuals, 79.04% were aged over 80, equating to 173,959 people.
Noteworthy is that during the third year of the shock plan implementation, 94,429 more individuals received care compared to the previous year, culminating in 287,636 individuals receiving care post-shock plan deployment.
Conversely, financial benefits for family caregiving amount to an average monthly sum of 240.17 Euros (received by 558,234 individuals). Payment based on dependency grading averages at €157.9/month for Grade I; €265.2/month for Grade II, and €369.6/month for Grade III, exhibiting notable discrepancies among regions.
Moreover, home assistance records an average of 33.8 hours per month, with monthly averages by grade at 15.8 hours for Grade I; 38 hours for Grade II, and 57.9 hours for highly dependent individuals. The latter group requires a service of two and a half hours daily from Monday to Friday, which is considered inadequate given their constant need for support.
73% of Family Caregivers are Women
Regarding family caregiver profiles, 73% are women and 27% are men, with 28.4% falling between 16 and 49 years old, 46.9% between 50 and 66 years, 17.7% between 67 and 79 years, 6.2% between 80 and 89 years, and 0.9% aged 90 or above. It further reveals that 34.4% are children, 24.3% are mothers, 20.1% are spouses, 4.4% are siblings, 3.3% are fathers, 1.7% are son/daughter-in-law, 1.8% grandchildren, 1.4% partners, and 8.5% are other relations.
Moreover, only 77,230 individuals (88% women) are enrolled in the special agreement for non-professional caregivers of dependent persons under Social Security, representing 14.29% of all caregivers.
The report also highlights nine regions that reduced spending on dependent care in 2022 compared to 2021: Catalonia, Cantabria, Asturias, Valencian Community, Andalusia, Extremadura, Madrid, Castilla y León, and Murcia.
Specifically, the total direct expenditure on benefits and services in 2023 amounted to 10,446 million Euros, with Public Administrations covering 8,312 million Euros, while users contributed the remaining 2,134 million Euros through regulated co-payments (20.4%). In 2023, the General State Administration supported 39.6% of direct public expenditure on dependency, with Autonomous Communities bearing the remaining 60.4%.
Additionally, it underlines that the Spanish Government fulfilled the provisions of Law 36/2011, of October 10, governing social jurisdiction by transferring litigation matters concerning dependency to the Social order, as mandated by the seventh Final Provision.
However, the report indicates that the dependency shock plan fell short of establishing telecare as a guaranteed right for every dependent individual living at home. Currently, 64.2% of individuals receiving home care lack this service.
