The Santa Eulària des Riu Town Council and the Ibiza and Formentera Cancer Association present a support service for people with cancer in the final stage of life

The Santa Eulària des Riu Town Council and the Ibiza and Formentera Cancer Association (IFCC) presented this morning a new pilot project called “hospice”, a support service for people with cancer in the final stage of life and their families, on the eve of World Cancer Day. This service, supported by the Palliative Care Unit of Hospital Can Misses and the Social Services of Santa Eulària des Riu, will be offered free of charge from 2 March, initially to oncology patients residing in the municipality with a life expectancy of less than twelve months.

According to data collected by the Palliative Care Unit of Ibiza and Formentera, in 2024 approximately 381 cancer patients were assisted, of whom 232 — 61% of patients — received care in their own homes. In the municipality of Santa Eulària des Riu, demographic statistics estimate that of the approximately 99 patients who reach the end of their lives each year, 65 remain at home and 34 are cared for in hospitals or other healthcare facilities. After observing a growing number of requests to accompany people in the final stage of life, the Ibiza and Formentera Cancer Association (IFCC) recognised the need to launch “a project that complements existing social and healthcare services: a dedicated, holistic and integrative support service for the final stage of life, bringing together all available resources into a high-quality care experience centred on the person,” as explained by its president, Elizabeth Gail Fear.

An initiative supported by the Santa Eulària des Riu Town Council which, as stated by its mayor, Carmen Ferrer, acknowledges that “in the care process of a terminal illness such as cancer, there is intensive work in prevention, detection and treatment, but specific support in the final stage is often missing. The hospice project complements existing social and healthcare services with the aim of improving the quality of life of patients and their families at a particularly delicate moment, offering close and compassionate support. From the Santa Eulària des Riu Town Council, we will always support initiatives such as this, which strengthen comprehensive care and dignity at the end of life.”

This project will be led by IFCC’s reference social worker, Natasha Quitak, who has extensive professional experience and specialises in end-of-life support. She will play a central role in the care and follow-up of cases. She will be part of a coordinated team also made up of representatives from IFCC, IbSalut primary care services and the Social Services of Santa Eulària des Riu, with the aim of ensuring joint and effective action.

At the same time, this support will be coordinated directly with the entire Social Welfare team and other relevant municipal departments to ensure the proper functioning of the project and a cross-departmental response. Assistance for affected individuals, their families and anyone else involved in the situation will be immediate, close and prioritised, without being subject to standard schedules or appointment systems.

In this regard, administrative protocols and procedures — both within the Social Welfare Department and other municipal areas — will be specifically adapted to respond with the urgency required in each case. With respect to the Municipal Home Care Service, an extraordinary extension of hours and services is envisaged. Likewise, the Telecare service will be processed on an urgent basis.

Finally, financial assistance or in-kind support aimed at covering basic needs such as alternative accommodation, food, pharmacy costs, clothing, transport, education, prosthetics or other necessities will also be managed urgently, using the appropriate documentation such as vouchers, mayoral decrees or supporting reports.

As explained by social worker Natasha Quitak, a specialist in end-of-life support with professional experience both in Ibiza and internationally, “the project will initially run for between six and twelve months, allowing the foundations to be laid for a comprehensive support model that could be expanded to other municipalities in the future.”

The services provided will include personalised assistance tailored to each individual’s needs, which may encompass help at home with personal care, household tasks, equipment, transport or translation; respite for family caregivers; information and guidance to access resources and to help navigate and understand the end-of-life process; and emotional support through attentive listening and compassionate presence.

The presentation was also attended by Mar Torres, who has personally experienced accompanying a loved one through the end-of-life process. She highlighted that “I missed being able to talk to someone who had the empathy of a family member but also the knowledge of what was really happening — and having two extra hands would have been incredibly helpful.”

To take part in this initiative, which will be launched on 2 March, residents of the municipality of Santa Eulària des Riu can request this support through their healthcare or social care professional, by writing to [email protected] or by calling 666 991 336.