The Socialist Parliamentary Group in the Aragon Courts has registered a request to launch a Special Study Commission focused on improving the System for Autonomy and Care for Dependency and on disability policies in the community. The request is based on the worsening of several of the main indicators of autonomous social services and on the convenience of adapting the Aragonese model to the new state framework.
The latest Index of Development of Social Services (DEC) places Aragon in eighth place among the 17 autonomous communities, with 5.28 points out of 10 --four tenths less than in the previous report-- and an overall assessment of medium-low level. "For the third consecutive year, Aragon is losing positions in this index," pointed out the deputy responsible for Social Welfare, Mónica Iglesias.
"The Azcón Government cannot continue to look the other way while Aragon loses positions in social services and some of the fundamental indicators worsen," warned Iglesias, who described the situation of home care as "especially concerning."
In Aragon, the average intensity of this service stands at 11.2 hours per month, less than half of the 23.8 hours of the state average. The coverage of day centers for the elderly also falls below the Spanish average: 1.41% compared to the national 2.19%.
"Home care is precisely one of the services that allows a person to continue living in their home and maintain their life project. That Aragon offers less than half of the hours than the Spanish average demonstrates that we have a problem that the Government must address urgently," she added.
In parallel, the socialist deputy has drawn attention to the evolution of public spending. According to the data from the report itself, Aragon allocated a total of 498.3 euros per inhabitant to social services in 2024, compared to the 575.1 euros of the state average, and cut around 11 euros in spending per person compared to the previous year.
"While social needs increase, Aragon is allocating fewer resources per inhabitant and a smaller percentage of its budget to social services. It is not a matter of headlines: these are figures that affect the care received by the elderly, dependent persons, persons with disabilities, and their families," Iglesias stated.
A change in the care model in question
For the PSOE, these figures are even more significant in a context of transformation of the care model, oriented towards greater attention at home and in the community environment, the promotion of personal autonomy, and deinstitutionalization.
In this line, the parliamentarian has questioned the political orientation of the current regional government, which, in her opinion, is "conditioned by the priorities set by Vox."
"While ideological postulates of the far right are being incorporated into government action, basic needs such as reinforcing home care, improving proximity services, or ensuring sufficient resources for dependent people are being sidelined," she indicated.
For this reason, Mónica Iglesias has urged President Azcón to "stop settling for announcing specific measures and face a global diagnosis of the Aragonese system of dependency and social services once and for all."
Objective: detect shortcomings and set a roadmap
The socialist proposal contemplates that the Special Commission addresses, among other aspects, the evolution of Aragon in the different indicators of the DEC Index, the procedures for recognition and assessment of dependency, waiting lists, and the so-called "dependency limbo," in addition to the coverage and intensity of home help.
The plan also includes the study of teleassistance, personal assistance, day centers, the residential network, specific problems of the rural environment, the reality of caregivers, the needs for professional staff, and the financing of the system.
"We do not want a commission to make another diagnosis. We want to put the problems on the table, listen to users, families, professionals, social entities, and administrations, and establish a roadmap with measurable objectives," Iglesias emphasized.
The Socialist Group has highlighted, however, that Aragon also presents results above the state average in certain areas, such as the coverage of publicly funded residential places for people over 75 years old, which reaches 8.06%, compared to 5.5% nationally, and residential places for people with disabilities, with 3.1% compared to 1.8% nationally.
"Precisely because Aragón has strengths that we must preserve, we need to rigorously analyze where we are failing and why. It is not about denying what works, but about acting where the data shows an evident gap," concluded Iglesias.
The PSOE proposes that the commission also allows for the preparation of Aragón's adaptation to the new state framework regarding dependency and disability and to face the future needs for financing, human resources, administrative coordination, and territorial organization that the system will have to assume in the coming years.