The Government delegate of the Junta de Andalucía, Aranzazu Martín, and the territorial delegate for Social Inclusion, Youth, Families and Equality, Francisco González Bellido, have officially inaugurated the Albanchez Senior Citizens’ Residence, accompanied by the mayor of the town , Amador López, councillors of the corporation and mayors of neighbouring towns. This is the first visit by institutional leaders of the Junta to this centre, whose doors opened last June and which has eight places agreed by the Junta de Andalucía.
The opening of this residence responds to a much-awaited demand from the residents of the town, as they have been waiting for many years due to the numerous complications that have arisen in the opening of this residential centre.
In fact, it was in 2009 when construction began as a Day Centre, works that were completed in 2011. However, it has not had any activity since then. Years later, in 2016, the Day Centre places were given up to transform it into a residence, obtaining the required accreditation. After all this administrative journey, this residence currently has a total of 20 places, eight of which are agreed and therefore financed by the Junta de Andalucía. Today, they are all occupied and several are private.
The Government delegate, Aránzazu Martín, has stressed that the opening of this centre “is one of the best pieces of news for the municipality”, since construction began 15 years ago, “but it was not until now, with the Government of Juanma Moreno, when the infrastructure works and the necessary procedures to open its doors have been completed”.
“This is undoubtedly very good news for the residents of the municipality, but also for the entire region, as they will see benefits from this service, which is so necessary,” said the delegate.
For his part, the territorial delegate for Social Inclusion, Youth, Families and Equality, Francisco Bellido, has thanked the residents of Albanchez for their “patience” and the “trust” they have shown in their mayor and in the governing team of the Junta, because “in the end, a response has been given to one of the most anticipated demands”. The regional government plans to invest more than 30 million euros in residences and day centres, several of them in the Almanzora region.
For the mayor, Amador López, the opening of the new residence is “a milestone” for the town. In this sense, he has emphasized that, in addition to providing service to the elderly of Albanchez and its region, “it is an incentive for employment and population settlement, since it stimulates local businesses with visits from relatives. “After years of work to unblock the situation, today this residence that bears the name of Ana María Martos Ferres, is a reality in a town like ours, which is growing in population and allows residents of Albanchez and surrounding areas to have a place in the residence or obtain a job,” the mayor of Albanchez assured La Comarca Noticias.
Boosting dependency
The opening of this residence and the fact that eight of its 20 places have been agreed upon reflects the Junta de Andalucía’s “unprecedented” commitment to improving and strengthening the public dependency system. This was highlighted by the Government delegate, who recalled the 4,553 new places created from 2019 to 2023 throughout the community and the increase in the amount financed per place and in home help.
“Never before has there been such a strong commitment to dependency as there is now,” he stressed, after regretting that this effort by the Junta contrasts with the lack of funding by the Government of Spain “by failing to fulfil its responsibility to cover 50% of the cost of dependency.”