High number of deaths while waiting
The year 2023 ended with a total of 12,280 people dying in Catalonia while waiting on the list to receive dependency aid. According to the most recent report from the Dependency Observatory of the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services, of the 23,810 users who left the waiting list last year while awaiting a resolution of the benefit, 34.36% did so due to to death, which means that 34 people lose their lives every day in Catalonia waiting for this help.
Mortality above expected
During the period between November 2022 and the same month of 2023, 40,577 people with a request for dependency died in Catalonia, 12.33% more than expected. Excluding the 3,097 people who did not prove a dependency situation, the number of deaths amounts to 37,480. Of these, 67.2% were being attended to and the remaining 32.8% were part of the waiting list, either to receive the degree resolution or because they were awaiting the resolution of the benefit.
Situation in residences and increase in applications
The study reveals that the mortality rate of the people treated is above what is expected for 2023, both in homes and residences. Despite the increase in the number of dependents cared for, Catalonia continues to be the second community with the highest number of people waiting, representing 19.37% of the total. At the end of 2023, almost 353,000 dependency applications were registered in Catalonia, with 1,815 fewer than the previous year. Of these, 327,571 were valued, 2,867 less than a year before. As for eligible people, 250,190 were counted, 7,454 less than in 2022; while those served increased by 13,846, reaching a total of 201,720.