Casimiro Curbelo
Public action makes sense when it improves people's lives. That should always be the measure of any government: not only the works that are seen, but also those that change the routine of an elderly person, a family with difficulties or those who need support to continue living with dignity at home.
In La Gomera we know our reality well. We are an island with scattered nuclei, with an aging population and with many people who have built their lives here and want to remain in their environment, close to their neighbors. That is why public policies cannot be made from a distance. They must respond to what happens in each neighborhood and in each family.
That vision is not just a declaration of principles. For the Cabildo of La Gomera, social well-being is a real priority. More than 16 million euros of direct investment are allocated to strengthening social policies, care for the elderly, dependency, inclusion, accessibility and support for those who need it most. Furthermore, 7 out of every 10 euros of the island accounts are aimed at people, because we understand that the public budget must have a clear purpose: to protect, care for and improve the lives of the entire Gomera society.
Programs like Gomera Accessible represent precisely that way of understanding public management. Adapting a home, changing a bathtub for a shower tray, installing a ramp or improving the security of an access are not minor actions. For many people they mean autonomy, tranquility and the possibility of not leaving their home due to lack of adequate conditions. They also mean relieving caregiver families, preventing accidents and reducing dependency situations that, if not addressed in time, end up affecting everyone's well-being.
The same thing happens with La Gomera Acompaña, a necessary initiative to combat an often silent reality: the unwanted loneliness of our elders. Accompanying is not just being present. It is listening, detecting needs and providing resources that have always been one of the great strengths of our island. In many cases, a visit, a call or a shared activity makes the difference between feeling apart or continuing to be an active part of life.
From the Cabildo of La Gomera we defend this useful, close and sensitive policy. A policy that does not wait for problems to worsen, but acts first; that coordinates resources, that collaborates with social entities and city councils, and that puts at the center those who need the most support. Administrations have the obligation to look beyond the numbers and understand that behind each file there is a specific story.
Well-being is built with decisions that allow a person to get up with more confidence, leave the house or feel accompanied. And it is built, above all, when public resources are clearly directed towards those who need them most. That is the island that we want to continue promoting: a Gomera where no one is left behind because they live far away, because they are getting older or because they are going through a situation of vulnerability.
