MADRID, 1 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The UGT and CCOO unions have urged this Sunday to resolve the deficiencies in the social protection system for older people, and have demanded the need to increase investment in public health, especially in Primary Care, and develop public policies regarding Health promotion.

In addition, they have considered it "fundamental" to improve home care, reinforce day and night care centers, as well as improve the working conditions of caregivers, mostly women.

UGT has highlighted in the manifesto sent this Sunday on the occasion of the International Day of Older People that 70% of the residential places in Spain are private, as well as that there is also a high number of public ones that are managed by private companies. .

The union organizations have recalled that the public health system, dependency protection, social services, the public pension system, among other issues, "are essential elements so that people can age autonomously and in healthy conditions."

Along these lines, they have stressed that these are instruments to fight inequality at all stages of life, addressing existing territorial differences, as well as the coverage of services and resources intended for older people.

For their part, both unions have stressed that it is "necessary to move forward on the path of the latest reforms of the Public Pension and Social Security System that ensure decent pensions for current and future pensioners", although they have detailed that non-contributory pensions must be improved. , the minimum and, especially, closing the gender gap.

Both unions have insisted on the importance of designing a National Plan against unwanted loneliness, specific measures to increase the protection of older people in emptied Spain, or carry out an inclusive digital transformation or end the discrimination suffered by people. greater in access to banking services.

Thus, UGT has explained that "more attention to people at home" is necessary, since it is necessary to identify the people with the greatest needs for care and prioritize those considered essential in each case in order to reorganize resources.

For all these reasons, union organizations have demanded a Comprehensive Law on the Rights of the Elderly that contemplates all these areas and guarantees dignified, active aging and the participation of older people in all areas of society.

Finally, UGT and CCOO have highlighted that almost 20% of the more than 48 million inhabitants in Spain are over 65 years of age, which is why they have highlighted that "we must face the challenges that this poses."