Madrid gives away 859 tablets to nursing homes

The regional authority and Orange join forces to help residents communicate with their families

The Community of Madrid provides internet communication equipment to nursing homes to enable the elderly and disabled persons to communicate with their relatives. A total of 859 tablets with internet will be provided to caring establishments in the region.

A sudden change in communication

The measure was announced by the regional authorities of Madrid, chaired by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, on Friday. The measure aims to meet the dramatically changed communication needs of the residents of nursing homes, related with COVID-19.

With Spain being hit hard by the pandemic and with its population being forced into domestic self-isolation, the persons living in these homes have been separated from their families. Thus, the only way for them to meet and communicate is through technology. 

The provision of connectivity devices is the result of a collaboration between Comunidad de Madrid and the Orange Foundation and Orange Spain. They will be donating the tablets free of charge.

In addition, the provided devices have WIFI, come with 4G routers and boast a data limit of 4GB, valid until the state of emergency ends, but could be extended if needed. They are accompanied with basic instructions on how to start a videoconferencing program.

Special care for the most vulnerable

Since the restriction of visits by family members in residences, the Ministry of Social Policies, Families, Equality and Birth of Madrid, has urged all centres on its territory to reinforce the information procedures on the health status of the elderly and people with disabilities, so that it reaches their loved ones accurately and in a timely manner in these times of crisis.

With the elderly and people with underlying conditions being considered the most vulnerable to the coronavirus, the regional government understands that it is essential to promote communication with their families, explains the authority.

Coronavirus in Spain and Madrid

Spain is one of the most seriously affected countries by coronavirus worldwide – up until the writing of this article, the confirmed cases were 900,306 in the world, 117,710 of which in Spain (Ministry of Health). The region of Madrid alone counts 34,188.