Within the archipelago, the SCS has registered 321,061 individuals over 14 years old with chronic diseases, representing 16% of this population group. Of these, a significant subgroup of 10,692 patients benefit from specific monitoring and care protocols designed for high-complexity pathologies.
Rita Tristancho, Director General of Patient and Chronicity at the SCS, presented these figures during the opening of the 66th National Congress of the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology and the 36th Congress of the Canary Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology, held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Tristancho emphasized that demographic aging is a primary challenge for healthcare and social systems, impacting care, organization, ethics, and community aspects. She advocated for a comprehensive, coordinated care model centered on individuals with complex chronic conditions.
Plan 5C, part of the Strategy for Addressing Chronicity in the Canary Islands, is based on three pillars: complex chronicity, continuity of care, and coordination between health and social resources. Its objective is to provide a tailored response to the needs of individuals with frailty, cognitive impairment, functional decline, or requiring long-term care.
The Director General noted that increased life expectancy, while a societal achievement, necessitates adapting public services to an increasingly aging reality. In the Canary Islands, over 410,000 people are aged 65 or older, reflecting the demographic trend.
During her speech, Tristancho stressed the importance of strengthening care continuity between health and social levels, as well as consolidating socio-sanitary coordination as a structural pillar of the system. She also highlighted SCS initiatives such as the Person-Centered Healthcare Strategy and the Canary Islands Socio-Sanitary Care Strategy.
The congress, gathering nearly a thousand professionals in Gran Canaria under the theme ‘Towards Active Longevity: Science, Care, and Community’, will address topics such as the rights of the elderly, frailty, dementias, cardiogeriatrics, psychogeriatrics, nutrition, and advances in biological and social geriatrics and gerontology over three days.
This event, taking place between June 10th and 12th, serves as a key forum for knowledge and experience exchange among professionals dedicated to elder care.
