The delegate of the Government in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, today presided over the signing of an operational procedure of collaboration between the Civil Guard of Cantabria and the Official College of Pharmacists, which reinforces the protection of the elderly against situations of risk, desamparo and abuse.
The agreement, signed by the chief colonel of the Civil Guard in Cantabria, Antonio Jesús Orantos, and the president of the College of Pharmacists, María García del Hierro, establishes that pharmacies in the region become key points of prevention and detection of crimes that affect the elderly.
"The main objective is the protection of the elderly against situations of risk and desamparo, as well as the early detection of possible crimes or abuses that may affect this group, particularly in the rural areas of the region, as well as promoting their autonomous life," explained Gómez de Diego.
Among the measures contemplated in the procedure, the organization of informative talks in facilities of the Official College of Pharmacists, aimed at the elderly, to promote greater integral security, stand out. These talks will be given by members of the Civil Guard, in collaboration with the pharmaceutical staff, and will be aimed at informing about the most common risks, such as scams, bank fraud or mistreatment.
In addition, informative materials, such as brochures and information posters, will be jointly developed and distributed in pharmacies and Civil Guard units, in order to effectively reach the elderly population.
The training of pharmacists will also be a central aspect, since they will receive guidance and technical assistance so that they can identify and notify possible security problems that affect older people more often or any negative casuistry that affects their well-being, promoting direct collaboration with the Civil Guard units.
"Spaces of trust and closeness"
The Government delegate stressed the importance of this collaboration as "an important step in the fight against unwanted loneliness" and thanked the commitment of both entities, highlighting the importance of having the involvement of pharmacies, "spaces of trust and closeness for many elderly people".
For her part, the president of the College of Pharmacists, María García del Hierro, after expressing her satisfaction with the agreement signed, stressed that "pharmacies make up a network of networks of health professionals, present in all corners of Cantabria, and act as radars to detect situations of risk or unwanted loneliness." Specifically, there are 279 pharmacies in the Autonomous Community.
"This procedure reflects our willingness to establish alliances with various agents and reaffirms our firm commitment to the vocation of service, to the health and well-being of the population," he said.
The procedure will have an initial duration of two years and may be extended. It does not entail expenses or transfers of resources between the parties, since each entity will assume the costs of the activities with its regular budgets.
The monitoring will be carried out by a joint committee, composed of representatives of both institutions, which will meet annually to evaluate the results and promote new actions if necessary.
The role of Team ROCA
In this context, the Government delegate has highlighted the work of the ROCA Team of the Civil Guard, which has become a "key player" in the fight against the demographic challenge.
According to the delegate, since June 2022, this team has held more than 6,600 interviews with elderly people living in isolated areas and has maintained 1,233 contacts with medical and pharmaceutical sectors in Cantabria, "consolidating itself as an essential tool for the early detection of risk situations and the prevention of social isolation, in addition to strengthening security in rural areas."
European funds
Since the last legislature, the ROCA Team collaborates with the Government of Cantabria in the development of a specific program for the prevention of social isolation, which has allowed the mobilization of resources in rural areas and the implementation of strategies of comprehensive care for older people, in collaboration with different sectors, thanks to European funding of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
Gómez de Diego has stressed the importance of these funds to strengthen community support networks and has welcomed the fact that the procedure signed today will deepen in this direction, by uniting the capacities of the Civil Guard and the College of Pharmacists.