Cristopher de Oyanguren, a young man from Tenerife with a 90% disability, has been confined to his home in Ofra for nine months. He has been unable to attend the day centre he is registered at, or even go outside to get some fresh air. He is a hostage to the lack of support for dependency in Canarias.
His mother, Belén de Oyanguren, describes herself as “desperate” and calls for an “urgent” solution to at least provide him with a minimum quality of life. The young man has been suffering from cerebral hypoxia since he was 10 years old. He can hardly move on his own and can only get around in a wheelchair.
The issue arises from the fact that his mother, 57 years old and who has suffered several strokes, no longer has the strength to lift Cristopher from bed and place him in the wheelchair. She also lacks the strength to take him out of their second-floor flat, put him in the lift, and take him to the bus stop where he is picked up to be taken to the day centre, CAMP La Cuesta.
The mother reports that the young man has suffered serious deterioration during all this time spent locked up
Only she and Cristopher live in the house. A neighbour in the area helped her for nine years but has moved to the mainland. Belén receives daily visits from two carers sent by the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council. However, the service only lasts an hour and is limited to bathing the young man.
“They don’t have time to help me lift and take him to the bus,” she says. “I would need support early in the morning and again at noon when my son returns from the centre. I’ve called and called but haven’t found anyone to assist me, and I don’t know what to do anymore,” she laments.
The woman states that the deterioration Cristopher is experiencing is “noticeable and evident”. “You can tell he’s much worse. It’s crucial for a person with his condition to at least get some sunlight and have activities at the day centre. But he’s been without that motivation for almost a year, locked up all day. It breaks my heart,” says Belén de Oyanguren.
The neighbour from Ofra no longer knows who to turn to. “I’ve called the City Council, the Cabildo, the Government of Canarias, the Ombudsman. I’ve met with all of them but to no avail, they haven’t offered me any solutions,” she protests.
Not only that, but Belén complains that they are “passing the buck to each other.” “The Island Institute of Social and Health Care of the Cabildo de Tenerife refers me to the Government of Canarias, the Government of Canarias refers me to the Santa Cruz City Council, and they claim they can’t provide that service. I’ve been like this for weeks and weeks, while my son remains locked up day after day. I don’t understand anything,” she concludes.
