The councillor with responsibility for the department of community wellbeing and senior citizens, José Antonio López Delgado, says that the care service for the borough’s senior citizens has continued throughout the current situation and adapted to meet the new needs of the more vulnerable members of our society given the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are currently 77 people receiving home care attention, with a team of 10 professionals “offering individual assistance as well as a telephone service staffed by members of the social services team”, detailed the councillor. He added that the council are planning to add new members to the team if there is an increase in demand for their services.
López Delgado said the team who are attending to people in their homes has, of course, all the protection materials needed to carry out their work given that the amount of help being requested from elderly people at home had increased.
He said that the seniors’ Santa Ana Day Club was closed but they were staying in touch with the 443 people who used the centre on a regular basis. “We are phoning them, letting them know about activities they can do at home. We have social networks too that they are all able to use”. The service is also being offered to the 21 people who use the Senior Residence day centre.
The Senior Residence centre currently has 18 people in residence, and they are, of course, being cared for by professionals and in regular contact with family members by phone or video calls, given that visits are currently not allowed.
To guarantee the proper care and attention of those in residence, the care workers are working a series of shifts, using all of the strictest sanitation protocols, and the centre has its own laundry, kitchen and the council have also increased the daily cleaning and disinfection service of the surrounds as well.
The 108 clients of the ‘Calidad de Vida’ (quality of life) programme are also receiving a service through videoconferences, social networks, telephone contact, etc. There is a shopping service on offer to them as well as assistance in cognitive strengthening lessons, etc, and advice for families to carry out activities together.
