More than 200 professionals from the health and social care sector will gather for the first edition of SocioCARE

Just over a month before it opens, the European Care Expo Congress, SocioCARE, is moving forward with preparations for its first edition, which will be held from 9 to 11 June at IFEMA MADRID and is expected to welcome more than 200 professionals. The event has been created as a forum for analysis, reflection and the exchange of experiences among the various stakeholders involved in the provision of care services, in both the public and private sectors.

The Organising Committee, which recently held a working meeting to advance preparations for this first edition, is made up of representatives from the sector’s leading organisations: Lourdes Rivera, President of AESTE; Rafael Sánchez-Ostiz, President of CEAPS; Ignacio Fernández-Cid, President of the Business Federation for Dependency Care (FED); José Luis Pareja, President of LARES; Ignacio Gamboa, President of ASADE; Matilde Pelegrí, President of Grupo Senda; Carlota Quintana, Commercial Manager of SocioCARE; and David Moneo, Director of SocioCARE. The event also has the support of the Community of Madrid and Madrid City Council.

The SocioCARE exhibition area will feature companies and organisations linked to innovation, technology, management and the delivery of care services. Among the first confirmed exhibitors are KARMA Mobility, ResiLife, Jusad Asistencial, Sanikey, Batonroute-Software, The Access Group, Residencia Aldama, Grupo Salto, Inteligencia para el Bienestar Humano, CEDDD, ADD Informática, Intelligent Data and Chiptech, all of whom will showcase solutions aimed at improving the quality, efficiency and sustainability of care services.

In addition, SocioCARE already has the backing of confirmed sponsors to date, including Igualis, DomusVi, Asispa, Healthcare Activos, Grupo Amera España and Ibernex, leading organisations in the fields of disability, dependency care and health and social care services.

A forum for debate on the future of care

All of this activity will be complemented by the congress programme, which will bring together leading voices from the care sector and provide a platform to discuss the most significant issues affecting the industry.

The first day will focus on the structural changes affecting the sector, with particular attention to new residential care models, the impact of longevity, and the relationship between planning, construction and financing of care resources. The programme will also include sessions dedicated to unwanted loneliness, talent management and recruitment, the impact of ageism, and the organisation of care in rural settings.

It will also examine the role of technology in service delivery and open a space for reflection on end-of-life care within the care pathway, approaching this area from both professional and social perspectives.

The second day will focus on care in the community, local support services, and the evolution of residential care, as well as health and social care coordination as a key element in improving system efficiency. Throughout the day, discussions will also address matters related to care for people living with dementia, disability and dependency, while analysing the impact of certain economic measures, such as de-indexation and the National Minimum Wage, on the viability of the care system.

The programme will conclude with a keynote marking the 20th anniversary of the Dependency Law, followed by a closing panel centred on the sector’s main priorities, with the aim of offering a shared view of the immediate challenges and future lines of action.

The third day of the SocioCARE congress will adopt a more practical and relationship-focused format, designed to encourage the direct exchange of knowledge and experience among the sector’s different professional profiles. Throughout the day, a programme of specialist workshops and networking breakfasts will take place, conceived as working and discussion spaces for smaller groups.

The workshops will address specific issues in the management and delivery of care, with a practical and participatory approach, enabling attendees to explore real solutions, share best practice and analyse use cases linked to the day-to-day operation of care services. These sessions will be aimed at management professionals as well as technical leaders and senior decision-makers from both the public and private sectors.

First speakers confirmed 

The programme for the 1st European Care Expo Congress is beginning to take shape with the confirmation of its first speakers and months of debate, which will address some of the main challenges facing Spain’s care system from healthcare, social, territorial and institutional perspectives.

Among the first confirmed appearances is Dr Vanesa Pytel, neurologist and Doctor of Medical and Surgical Sciences, who will deliver the keynote ‘El cerebro como activo estratégico’ (The Brain as a Strategic Asset), a reflection on the importance of cognitive and brain care in ageing and in current care models.

In the field of management and infrastructure development, Andreu Huguet (Healthcare) and Javier Romero (Grupo Emera España) will take part in the panel discussion on ‘Construcción y financiación’ (Construction and financing), moderated by the FED. The session will analyse current and future challenges in the planning of residential and health and social care resources.

Meanwhile, Elena Sampedro, Director-General of Asispa, will deliver a keynote focused on the #STOPAGEISM campaign, highlighting the fight against age discrimination and the need for a cultural and social shift in how older people are perceived.

Territory and depopulation will also play a key role in the panel discussion “Cuidar en la España rural: raíces y cuidados” (Caring in rural Spain: roots and care), which will bring together representatives from local, regional and national government. Confirmed participants include Francisco Díaz Latorre, Director-General for Legal Services and Territorial Coordination at the Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias (Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces – FEMP); Fernando Sabés, Mayor of San Esteban de Litera (Huesca); José Vicente Granado, Councillor for Older People at the Pescueza City Council (Cáceres); and Ana de los Ángeles Marín Andréu, Director-General for Policies Against Depopulation at the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge – MITECO).

The programme will also feature a talk entitled “Aprendamos a morir” (Learning to Die), given by Laura Cañete, supervisor of the Caronte Project at Fundación Asispa, which focuses on end-of-life support and dignity.

In addition, a discussion forum entitled “Servicios de proximidad: servicios públicos, comunidad y cercanía” (Local services: public services, community and proximity) will be held, featuring municipal officials from major cities: José Fernández, Head of the Department of Social Policy, Family and Equality at Madrid City Council; Rodrigo Nieto, Councillor for the Elderly, Family and Social Services at Valladolid City Council; and Marta Torrado, Councillor for Social Services at Valencia City Council.

The humanisation of care will be another key theme of the conference, with the presentation “De los principios a las operaciones” (From principles to practice) to be given by Rocío Alonso Vallín, Director of Humanisation at DomusVi.

María Teresa Sancho Castiello, Director-General of the Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (IMSERSO), will address the regulatory framework and the challenges facing the public system in her presentation “20 años de la Ley de la Dependencia” (20 years of the Dependency Law).

Finally, Antonio Burgueño Torijano, from the Health and Social-Health Coordination Committee of the Confederación Española de Organizaciones de Mayores (Spanish Confederation of Organisations for the Elderly – CEOMA), will analyse long-term care for people with dementia, one of the main priorities in the social and healthcare sector in the coming years.

SocioCARE will be held alongside other events organised by IFEMA MADRID on the same dates, such as TECMA, SRR, Global Mobility Call and Foro de las Ciudades de Madrid (Madrid Cities Forum). This overlap, from 9 to 11 June, will create a Citizenship Services Week, turning the exhibition centre into a reference space for public administrations by bringing together, over three days, the main actors in municipal, regional, national and European governance.