The Ministry of Social Welfare of the Government of Canarias has committed 125.34 million euros from the 127.17 million managed under Component 22 of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (MRR), representing 98.55% of the available credit. By early September, 86.92 million euros had been disbursed, nearly 70% of the committed amount.
Minister Candelaria Delgado presented a balance of these funds to the Parliament of Canarias, highlighting their impact on the autonomy of the elderly, dependent individuals, and those with disabilities, as well as their ability to remain in their usual environment. "We are not talking about announcements, but about acquired infrastructure, deployed technologies, modernized centers, and new residential models," stated Delgado, emphasizing that the investment aims for individuals to maintain their autonomy longer and decide where they want to live.
Candelaria Delgado concluded that Canarias has used the MRR to "build capacities it did not have before" and move towards a care model based on autonomy, prevention, and home-based attention. These European investments are integrated into a broader transformation of the system, aligned with the Canarias Sociosanitary Care Strategy 2026-2030, which includes 66 actions and a planning exceeding 1,326 million euros.
The minister indicated that the goal is for the MRR's extraordinary funding to leave a permanent capacity within the public system, such as an advanced telecare network, digitized centers, support instruments for caregiver families, new residential modalities, and professionals trained to use these tools. "Europe has allowed us to finance the transformation, but we will have to sustain it ourselves afterwards," she affirmed.
The Home Stay Support Program, endowed with 22.8 million euros and with a 99.9% execution rate, has enabled the acquisition of 23,449 home care packages and 18,137 mobile devices for advanced telecare. These devices include home terminals, smoke and gas detectors, presence and opening sensors, fall detectors, and multimedia devices with geolocation and alert generation capabilities. The Canarias Public Telecare Service is evolving from a primarily emergency response model to one capable of risk prevention and providing safety inside and outside the home. The service currently assists over 17,000 people and plans to reach 20,000 users.
The Canarias Network for the Digitization of Elderly and Disability Centers, with over 2.5 million euros and 98.85% execution, has acquired 583 75-inch touch panels and 1,171 laptop and tablet packages, distributed across the network of centers. The aim is to use this technology for cognitive stimulation, combating the digital divide, improving communication, facilitating remote services, and providing new tools for professionals within a person-centered care model. This territorial dimension will also bring activities and support closer to people living on non-capital islands, in rural municipalities, or remote areas, contributing to the principle of Equal Islands.
The Technological Transformation of Social Services, with an allocation of 4.29 million euros, is advancing in the digitization of files, the incorporation of artificial intelligence tools, and the development of Alisio, an application for caregiver families. "Innovation must facilitate the lives of the end-user, but also those who care and those who work professionally in the system," highlighted Delgado.
Additional actions include the Collaborative Housing Program (3.098 million euros, 100% executed), which promotes new residential and cohabitation alternatives for vulnerable individuals, and the Equipments for Person-Centered Care project, mobilizing over 72 million euros through agreements with the seven island councils to build or renovate 700 sociosanitary places in residences and day centers.
