Geriatric care

In Spain, social health care is a professional training degree that brings together the services that coordinate the curative, social and educational assistance of groups in situations of dependency such as the elderly, the chronically ill and people with physical, mental or sensory disabilities. The above situations and states are encompassed in functional diversity. In particular, they must seek to increase the autonomy of the user, alleviate their limitations or suffering (especially in the terminal moment) and facilitate their social reintegration.

In the planning of said care, the type of people who require social and health care, the care model, the catalog of benefits, the resources and organizational aspects, and general and specific lines of action must be taken into account.

These services must be properly coordinated with the health services, to guarantee the continuity of health care. Likewise, care for the elderly by geriatricians in health centers must be encouraged.

The socio-sanitary benefit has traditionally been discriminated against in the Social Security system, since said burden was transferred to families. With the aging of Western societies, it is necessary to pay special attention to this type of care and, especially, to ensure that the ratio of places/elderly population does not decrease (which does not happen if the same places are maintained as in the today, since the elderly population increases more and more every year. Within professional training in Spain, the title of Socio-Health Care Technician has recently been modified and has been replaced by Technician in Care for People in a Situation of Dependency.

Law 39/2006 of December 14, on the Promotion of Personal Autonomy and Care for people in a situation of dependency (Article 34) and respecting the Resolution of December 11, 2017, of the Secretary of State for Social Services and Equality, by which the Agreement of the Territorial Council of Social Services and the System for autonomy and Dependency Care is published, as of December 2022 it will be mandatory to practice as a professional in Socio-Health Care for dependent people in social institutions the Certificate of Professionalism accredited by the SEPE and it will be mandatory to obtain it both in the private and public sphere.