Health Minister José Luis Banalo Flores visited the new unit for patients with psychogeriatric conditions at the Saint Santo Cristo de Los Milagros psychosocial rehabilitation center in Huesca on Friday. This pioneering unit in Spain will improve care for this population aged over 65 years.
This was highlighted by the Health Minister after touring the new spaces, accompanied by the Director General of Mental Health, Manuel Corbera, Huesca sector manager Raquel Genzor, Head of Psychiatry Service at San Jorge Hospital in Huesca Carmelo Pelegryn, and the Director of the Association of Spain’s Association.
«This is good news given the aging population in Aragon,» said the minister. As detailed, this unit will provide comprehensive care for individuals with dementia and behavioral disorders, as well as older adults with severe mental disorders requiring temporary and multidisciplinary intervention in the hospital.
This specialized and multidisciplinary care will facilitate their return to their environment after a period of stabilization in this subacute psychogeriatric unit. The minister added that the CRP Santo Cristo de los Milagros in Huesca «has become a reference center for all Aragonese.»
The unit’s director and head of the psychiatry section, Javier Olivera, explained that it will cater to elderly individuals with severe mental disorders such as behavioral disorders, dementia, and other serious psychiatric conditions typically managed in senior residences, general hospitals, and units.
From now on, «they will have a specific space here for multidisciplinary care in psychogeriatrics.» It will last between one and two months, an «optimal time for behavior control,» as the goal is for the patient to return to their home or residence.
The President of the Spanish Psychogeriatrics Society, Manuel Sánchez Pérez, emphasized the «strategic value» of this unit in addressing the «expert care needs» in mental health for individuals aged over 65, a demographic that has seen significant growth.
Admissions to this new unit will be in the four individual rooms it is equipped with. The first admission is scheduled for next week. Patients will be elderly individuals over 65 with psychological pathologies that, due to their severity, require medical attention that cannot be provided in outpatient settings.
The introduction of these beds led to the hiring of a new professional in psychiatry with training in psychogeriatrics. This position was filled in April and will coordinate the care in this unit, providing specific support for mental health care and coordinating with geriatrics and psychiatry services in the Huesca sector. Additionally, the CRP has around a hundred staff members.
The unit features four individual rooms, an adapted bathroom, and oxygen provision. Each room has individual closet space and other amenities. There is also a dining area and a common room where users can prepare meals, watch TV, and engage in leisure activities like painting, writing, and games.
There is also a gym area for physiotherapy rehabilitation and a versatile room for occupational therapy and cognitive stimulation activities.
With this new unit, the availability of medium and long-term stay beds for mental health care is enhanced beyond what the center currently offers. The CRP Santo Cristo de Los Milagros in Huesca becomes a reference in the rehabilitation of individuals with severe mental disorders.
Specifically, the CRP Santo Cristo de los Milagros has 20 medium-stay beds and 50 long-stay beds. In psychogeriatrics, it has 40 places for individuals with severe mental disorders. Since last year, it has been hosting a Mental Health Day hospital with 15 seats.
