Need to train caregivers of people in situations of dependency: communication and response from the UCM

Abstract

Recently, the need to provide care for people with different degrees of dependency and vulnerability is growing, and they are living longer, mainly due to two reasons: scientific advances in the field of health and family, work and social changes. This care is usually given by family members -mainly women- who must work 24 hours a day in the solitude of their homes, without speaking, without communicating and often without receiving feedback that encourages them to follow. It is a difficult and prolonged task, with little recognition, although it can also awaken unsuspected facets that enrich the caregiver. Logically they perform their invaluable work with more will, interest and dedication than knowledge, because no one has clearly indicated how to perform it. Consequently, from a public university such as the Complutense University of Madrid, an educational institution with a clear vocation for service, a training offer for these caregivers emerges with the clear objective of alleviating this growing need.