The Nursing Directorate of the Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín University Hospital, affiliated with the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, recently participated in Madrid in the II Nursing Tribute under the slogan ‘Caring for the mind is caring for life’.
Leticia Benítez Santana, Deputy Director of Nursing for Medical Services at the hospital, was part of an analysis panel titled ‘Depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline in the elderly. Emotional burden of caregivers’. The panel discussed the impact of anxiety, depression, and severe psychosocial suffering disorders affecting social and work integration.
Attending professionals agreed on the need to strengthen mental health nursing teams to ensure continuous, quality care, emphasizing the importance of multidisciplinary coordination. The relevance of specialized nursing care and support, with a focus on the necessary assistance for the emotional overload experienced by both family caregivers and healthcare professionals, was also highlighted.
Proposals were made for improvements in humanization and multidisciplinary coordination for this sector, reiterating the need to reduce stigma associated with mental health. The Deputy Director of Nursing mentioned projects funded by the Ministry of Health to implement the Mental Health Action Plan, such as care for resistant depression and community-based care, aimed at reducing hospital stays in psychiatric units.
Reference was made to ongoing projects at the hospital, such as the one in the Resuscitation unit, which enhances psychological care for admitted patients with family support and psychoeducational strategies. Aspects such as early detection of cognitive decline, longitudinal care for affected individuals, and the importance of family and social support networks were also addressed.
Examples of care at the Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín University Hospital were cited, including the dementia clinic and the approach to ostomized patients by stomatherapist nurses and the mental health team, to promote effective coping and reduce suffering.
During the event, it was emphasized that mental health is a fundamental dimension of biopsychosocial well-being, and the key role of nurses in identifying needs, providing support, health education, prevention, and continuity of care was underscored.
