Tenerife to Gain 469 New Care Places by 2026

Tenerife is set to gain 469 new care places by 2026 under a new dependency agreement with the Canary Islands Government. These places include 124 for residential care, 145 for day care, and 200 designed to help people live more independently.

Águeda Fumero, the Minister for Social Action of Tenerife's island council (the Cabildo), expects this agreement to be signed by the end of the year. She also noted that 700 care places have already been created since her term began in July 2023.

Fumero acknowledged that the figures can be complex, but assured that a total of 2,016 care places will be available during this term. She explained that the 469 places from the new agreement are in addition to 529 new places already being developed. These 529 places come from new care centers whose construction contracts have already been awarded and are planned for next year. She aims to secure another 416 places through future tenders, which would bring the total from these new centers to 945.

Additionally, Fumero mentioned 500 new home care service places and 518 places already established under the current dependency agreement during this term. With some adjustments, these 518 places could increase to 700.

The 518 places already allocated come from the Sixth Amendment (VI Addendum) to the existing dependency agreement with the Canary Islands Government. This initiative is jointly funded by the Cabildo and the regional government, and nearly all these places have already been integrated into Tenerife's care network. Specifically, these 518 places include:

• 220 residential places for older people in Santa Cruz, La Laguna, La Orotava, Adeje, and Arona.
• 130 day center places, also for older people, in Tacoronte, El Sauzal, Arafo, Icod, and Guía de Isora.
• 98 residential places for people with disabilities in Granadilla de Abona, La Laguna, and Santa Cruz.
• 40 day center places for people with disabilities in La Victoria, Los Realejos, and Güímar.
• 30 places to help people live more independently.

The Cabildo's Socio-health Infrastructure Plan, backed by its own funding of about 100 million euros, will also create 529 places. These will come from new care centers in Abades (Arico), La Matanza de Acentejo, and Garachico. While contracts for these centers have been awarded, they are not expected to be finished by 2026. The Minister added, "We expect to reach a total of 945 places in the coming years once the remaining tenders are completed."

To help people, especially older individuals, stay in their own homes, Águeda Fumero highlighted a new pilot project. This project offers 500 places in municipalities like Arona, Puerto de la Cruz, Arico, Santa Cruz, and La Laguna. It targets individuals who do not yet require full dependency care and provides them with support from a multidisciplinary team, including nursing, rehabilitation, and social support. The goal is to prevent people from becoming dependent, postpone the need for residential care, ease the burden on families, and make care more accessible across all municipalities. Fumero described this as "home care with a community response."