- The family members of the residents, the associations of Álava and Bizkaia, have made the request to the public institutions of the CAV. Osakidetza and the Foral Deputies call for direct participation in the residences and for the intervention to be extended indefinitely.
Partnerships have defined the proposal for public-private management of residences in three areas: Health, medical and nursing care in all CAV locations, care in Osakidetza without a time limit; the management of social care (psychological care, rehabilitation, leisure…) by the foreign ministers of the three countries; and the provision of other services (food, cleaning, reception…) as hitherto has been accepted by private companies.
Various arguments to justify the proposal
The users of the residences have valued that they have become areas of high risk due to their peculiarities, and that the only way to deal with it is by adopting excellent preventive measures and making available the appropriate means for the residents and employees.
Associations have called for very rigorous active prevention. Data provided by the Spanish Ministry of Health have been made available. According to the report, 84.6% of residents and 29.4% of workers have been infected in residences where prevention has not been carried out. 33.7% of residents and 6.2% of visitors have died in the CAV and Navarra. If no measures are taken in homes where there are many infections, they warn of the risk of the formation of chronic foci, which can hinder the proper management of the epidemic.
The hardening of preventive measures, they say, means more time with residents, that is, more direct care both in the day and at night. In the face of the lack of visits and the loneliness they experience, the workers have asked for emotional attention. They also demand acceptance of controlled family visits and farewell visits.
The associations have denounced that almost all the attention to the unit has been put into private hands by public institutions and that this has been a political decision. In the opinion of the associations, often private companies have not been able to make investments and provide a rapid response, they have not prioritized the care of the elderly. In this crisis situation, the associations have stated that the public system can demonstrate its effectiveness, that is, that it must provide quick answers to protect the most vulnerable, without being dragged into other interests.
They have called for a public, universal and proportionate model of care for dependent people, and have emphasized the existence of resources for a comprehensive care model in the Basque Country.