14,600 people are waiting for home care support in the Canary Islands

Thousands of people who need help with everyday activities are still waiting for support in the Canary Islands, despite a substantial reduction in delays.

The latest figures put the waiting list at 14,638 people, with an average wait of 214 days — around seven months — at the end of September.

The figures, published on Friday, 23rd October, cover Spain’s dependency support system, which provides care services or financial assistance for people who cannot manage important parts of daily life without help.

What does dependency support mean?

In plain English, it means support for someone who regularly needs another person’s help because of ageing, illness or disability.

That could include assistance with washing, getting dressed, eating, moving around the home or managing daily routines safely. It can also cover people who need supervision or other support because of difficulties with memory, understanding or decision-making.

The system is not limited to older people. Younger adults and children with lasting care needs can also qualify, subject to assessment and eligibility requirements.

Depending on the person’s circumstances, support can include carers visiting their home, attendance at a day centre, residential care or financial help towards an approved care arrangement.

Another service is teleassistance: access to help through an alarm button or similar device, allowing someone to contact a response team when they need assistance.

Waiting times have fallen

The latest quarterly figures show considerable improvement in the Canary Islands.

The waiting list has fallen by 7,385 people, or 33.5%, since the start of the year. The average waiting time is also below the Spanish average of 314 days.

However, an average does not describe every individual case, and thousands of families remain caught between applying for help, receiving an assessment and getting support in place.

The figures also record 519 people who died while waiting for support during the first nine months of the year. This does not establish that the delays caused their deaths, but underlines the vulnerability of those awaiting assistance.

What happens after someone applies?

An assessment establishes how much help the person needs. An individual care plan then identifies the appropriate services or financial support.

Having a recognised care need and actually receiving the agreed assistance are separate stages, which helps explain why delays can continue after an assessment.

For British residents concerned about themselves or a relative, their local council’s social services team is a starting point for asking about an application. Eligibility and any financial contribution depend on individual circumstances; support is not automatically available simply because someone lives in the islands.