Ragusa and the protection service for elderly people, 135 cases involved

Senior Citizens Protection Service, 99% promotes the quality of ADA and ADI. But half request more hours

The annual verification of the Senior Citizens Protection Service conducted by the municipal Social Services has concluded. The monitoring involved 135 situations: 104 checks through home visits, 21 through document analysis, and 6 through phone interviews.

The most relevant data concerns the quality of services: for 2025, 99% of users and family members/caregivers express satisfaction with the services of Home Care for the Elderly (ADA) and Integrated Home Care (ADI).

Currently, the beneficiaries are 32 for ADI and 99 for ADA.

The services are provided by social cooperatives active in the area: Artemide Coop. Soc., Auxilium Soc. Coop. Sociale, Coop. Soc. Dafne Onlus, Coop. Soc. Isola Iblea, Medicare Soc. Coop. Sociale, Soc. Coop. Sociale Onlus Turi Apara.

The situation regarding the hours provided is different: 45% of the assisted individuals express satisfaction with the number of hours received; 50% express dissatisfaction due to insufficient hours; 1% report issues related to the number of operators present; 4% indicate the need for additional interventions, such as psychological support.

Many families, especially those with over 85 or complex health needs, have supplemented the public service with private personnel. There have been three requests for increased hours: two were accepted, one was denied.

“The monitoring data from ADA/ADI 2025 – states the Councillor for Social Services, Elvira Adamo – gives us an image made not only of numbers, but above all of people, stories, and vulnerabilities that ask for attention and presence every day. Knowing that 99% of users and their families recognize the quality of the service received is for us a reason for deep gratitude towards the operators who, with professionalism and humanity, assist the elderly entrusted to them. At the same time, we cannot ignore the difficulties that many families have reported, particularly regarding the need for more hours of assistance and structured psychological support. Behind every request is an important emotional and organizational burden, often supported with great sacrifice by daughters and sons, caregivers, and relatives. Our commitment is to continue listening, improving, and strengthening these services, because allowing an elderly person to remain in their own home, in their own living environment, means defending their dignity, identity, and quality of life. Our intent is to put the person and their family network at the center with attention, respect, and responsibility.”