In Spain there are different systems for sharing competencies in the social services. Health is universal and free. The social services are not free and depend on local administrations, the Autonomous Administrations and the Local Administration. All personal services aimed at the care of the elderly experience and will experience (according to the prognostics of a clear inversion of the demographic pyramids) a clear tendency to grow. There will probably be an increase in the offers corresponding to home care - medical/nursing attention and personal - domestic tasks and personal care - and teleassistance services.
Although for the moment, the care given to the elderly is still given in 80% of cases through the family networks or through the contracting of these services with personnel from the submerged economy, the support mechanisms are expected to soon be regulated. In this sense, the ICT are beginning to be introduced through initiatives or pilot experiences, generally underwritten between private companies and administrations. Examples include the following:
Private insurance companies and other health assistance companies include some services of active teleassistance in the Spanish State. In general, neither old people's homes nor most organisations that offer these kinds of services are technologically equipped for ICT implementations. There is still much ignorance concerning these technologies, and some of the experiments that are being carried out are still in their early stages, as well as the diffusion of the results
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