Social care for the elderly and/or dependent

The care of the elderly and dependent is an obligation and an objective for the current developed countries

The care of the elderly and dependent is a priority social objective in the developed countries due to the increase in the population's age. The aim of this protection is to provide this group a more active and healthier life, allow for greater personal autonomy and fully exercise their rights as citizens.

In MUFACE, there are also social welfare benefits available for the elderly and those who require a carer

Below, we will take a look at:

• Need to attend the elderly and dependent

• Aids to the elderly and/or dependent in MUFACE

• Social-healthcare protection programmes of MUFACE 2018

Need to attend the elderly and dependent

The elderly are at the daily activity centre of the IMSERSO (National Council of Senior Citizens and Social Services) The activities are aimed at achieving a higher social participation of the elderly and them developing a more active and healthier independent life.

Some of the social services for the elder include:

1. Centres for the elderly: spaces that encourage their participation, leisure and integration

2. Addresses with services for the elderly: homes adapted to the needs of the elderly

3. Home accompaniment services for the elderly: in order to avoid their isolation and work on social relations

4. Day centres: places where the elderly go during the day and then at night return home.

5. Nursing or retirement homes: spaces to attend needs and requirements of elderly people

6. Temporary foster care service in nursing homes: it is a service that provides support to the families that attend elderly people at home

7. Home care service: with 2 objectives:

   1. Aid to hygiene, medication control, mobilisation and accompaniment

   2. Aid to house cleaning

8. Telecare service: so the elderly are connected 24/7 to a group of professionals that they can contact in the event of an emergency.

According to the Explanatory statement presented in Act 39/2006 of 14 December, on the promotion of Personal Autonomy and Care for Persons with Dependence status, "the care of dependent people is one of the developed countries' challenges." We must attend the needs of people who are in a special situation of vulnerability and require support to carry out the essential daily living activities so that they can attain greater personal autonomy and enjoy full civil rights."

In 2002, under Spanish presidency, the European Union decided on three criteria to govern the dependence policies of the Member states: universality, high quality and sustainability during the time that the systems are implemented.

In Spain the population above 65 years of age has grown from 3.3 million in 1970 to 6.6 million in 2000. To this we must add the demographic phenomenon known as the “ageing of ageing”, that is, the rise of the group of people over 80 years old, which has doubled in just 20 years.

9% of the Spanish population, according to the Survey on Disabilities, Impairments and Health Status of 1999, presents some type disability or limitation that has resulted or that can result in a dependency when carrying out daily living activities or a need of support in their personal autonomy in equal opportunities

Aids to the elderly and/or dependent in MUFACE

The following aids to the elderly and dependent are included in MUFACE:

• Aids to dependence in 2008: In 2008, Muface, continuing with the protection established for all citizens by the Dependence Act (Act 39/2006), offers its group of elderly and dependent the following aids as a supplement to this Act:

• Aids to dependence: These are aimed at mutual society members and other beneficiaries that require other people or aids to carry out basic daily activities. There are 3 programmes:

  • Additional aids to the services and provisions of the SAAD (Dependence Autonomy and Care System).

  • Renewal of the aids (elderly people and other beneficiaries, granted in 2007)

  • Aid to personal autonomy (contribution to the cost of the services, activities or technical means required by disabled people)

• Aids to social care for the elderly

• Aids for basic chiropody: For the payment of foot care for elders. For the time being, it is a maximum of three sessions a year and there is an agreement with the Professional Associations of Podiatrists. They are aimed at mutual society members and other beneficiaries that are 70 years old and above.

• Aids for social thermalism: Aimed at MUFACE retired mutual society members and beneficiaries above 65 years of age that request their participation in the social thermalism programme announced by the IMSERSO (Institute for the Elderly and Social Services) and those that remain on the waiting list and contract it on their own behalf and pay the total cost of these services

• Aids to dependence in 2011: They were governed by Resolution of 25 February 2011 of the General Mutual Society for State Civil Servants, through which is announced the granting of financial aid to dependence for the year 2011 (Official State Gazette of 15 March 2011).

• Aids to dependence in 2012: They were reflected in the Resolution of 27 February 2012, of the General Mutual Society for State Civil Servants, through which is convened the granting of financial aid to dependence for the year 2012 (Official State Gazette of 16 March 2012).

The dependent benefits comprise:

• Additional aids to the services and financial provisions of the SAAD (Dependence Autonomy and Care System)

• Extension of effects of the renewal of aids to elderly people and other beneficiaries

• Benefits to facilitate personal independence

Social-healthcare protection programmes of MUFACE 2018

The Official State Gazette of 17 July publishes Muface's social benefit programmes for 2018 in accordance with the Resolution of 10 July 2018 of the Directorate General of the Mutual Society. The annual announcement is subject to the principal of budgetary continuity established in the National Budget Act, which maintains the programmes initiated in previous announcements while giving priority to those aimed at fulfilling the needs not met by other public bodies.

One of the sections of the aids is:

1.7: Programme for the extension of effects of former Social-healthcare Protection Benefits, for those who, meeting the corresponding disability and/or dependency and economic requirements, are not recognised the right to obtaining benefits granted by the Dependence Autonomy and Care System (SAAD).

In section 9 of the Resolution of 10 July 2018 of the General State Civil Servant Mutual Society, through which is convened the granting of social-healthcare aid for the year 2018, governs the Programme of extension of effects in certain cases of aids granted under section 9 of MUFACE's Resolution of 10 May 2017, through which is announced the granting of Social-healthcare Protection Benefits for the year 2017