Also different debate groups about the following issues were created:
• Actual situation, analyses and proposals. The following communications were presented:
poverty and dependence; dependence because of traffic accident, occupational accidents and other
situations; Problems suffered by chronic patients; dependence and disability; dependence and child
abuse: the actual situation.
• Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The following communications were presented: presentation
of the White Book about National Dependence System, proposal of the Draft Law for Dependent people’s protection; Analysis and debate.
• Analysis of the Social and Sanitary care services and Proposal. The following communications
were presented: Financing of private caring homes; analysis and future of the commercial sector; Institutionalised psychological intervention for elderly people, home assistance, situations and problems; Social reality and resources.
• Training, work practice and employment. The following communications were presented:
Latest advances in Physiotherapy; Professional practice; Immigration and dependence.
• Training and action / Voluntary work. The following communications were presented: The
identity of voluntary work in today’s society; company and accompaniment.
• Demands exposed by the communications.
Elderlies, Old-Age people and dependence; Universal design for everybody; The future of disabled
people’s INDEPENDENCY; Importance of emotional support with disabled people; The widow’s situation today and in the future. The Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Autonomous Government), the Social Welfare Commission and the University of Valencia presented the General Study of Dependence in the Valencian
Community carried out by a group of experts in Social and Sanitary care. A cost analysis, types and financing alternatives for the Dependence Attention System was also presented in order to establish a debate about financing.
The Group of experts in Social and Sanitary care presented the following recommendations:
1. Enhance the home care services taking the actual system as a base.
2. Develop a high efficiency resource network complementary to the residential offer.
3. Support and train carers and generate, at the same time, new ways of family respite.
4. Promote dependant people’s autonomy by means of technical aids and prevention policies
without forgetting “active ageing”.
5. Extend the voucher system to the majority of services for dependants.
6. User’s participation in the system depending on their economic capacity and always under the motto “redistributional justice”.
7. Design an adequate dependence evaluation system guarantied by the Government.
8. Create a specific Dependence Management Organization in the Valencian Community.
9. Ask the Central Government to define, related to the protection of dependence, a homogeneous frame applicable to the national territory and a stable financial frame in order to
guarantee its viability and sustainability.
10. Improve dependant people’s social image in order to guarantee equal opportunities.
In addition, during this Conference a tribute was paid to the “Elderly Women Caretakers of the 3 Generations”, and to Friar Bartolomé Vicens Fiol, Founder Chairman of the “Man Foundation”, who gave a speech under the title “The human being has the need of feeling heard.” During his intervention he insisted that one thing is hearing an another is listening, that listening we learn and that we must give the person talking the security that we are going to listen to what he/she is about to say. In my opinion it is important to listen with enthusiasm, with an open mind, with our judgements suspended, without interrupting. This way you understand, you learn and you enrich your knowledge.
During the Conference’s final conclusions everybody agreed with the fact that the financing should be shared between the Government, the Autonomies and Town Councils and the users, depending on their salaries, pensions, incomes or wealth. Apart from these conclusions, I would also like to highlight the feelings that emerged among the participants that were transmitted to the assistants in an atmosphere of love, help and understanding. Congratulations to Mister Manuel Abad, President of the Social Integration Movement (SIN)… and to his young collaboration team.
José Roberto López Martínez
Executive Vice-president of the Group