The cooperative model puts the lives of people and the planet at the center and, therefore, its mission and values are essential to leading the transformation of the care sector
This Saturday, July 5, we celebrate International Cooperative Day and we do so in a very special year. This 2025, UNESCO has declared the International Year of Cooperatives for our capacity to build a better world.
Without a doubt, this is possible because at the center of our action we place the lives of people and the environment and, therefore, the value of care. It is in this context that, from cooperativism, we have a lot to say in a sector that needs social transformation: care. The model is between the ropes and cannot guarantee dignified, accessible and sustainable care.
However, care is a fundamental pillar of our societies and for collective well-being and, therefore, we need to put it at the center in its broadest sense: not only for those people who are in a situation of dependency in their homes, but also those who may suffer from mental health problems or for raising children, especially if they are in a situation of vulnerability.
However, the reality is that the care sector is in crisis. On the one hand, there is a lack of professionals in the sector at the same time as it is very precarious. First of all, because for centuries, care has been assumed by women without any kind of recognition or compensation, since they have been relegated to the family sphere and made invisible. Secondly, because once the sector has begun to be professionalized, mainly the workers are women of diverse origins.
A situation that will worsen even more in the not so distant future. The increase in life expectancy means that we will increasingly have older people who want to age at home with a situation of physical or cognitive deterioration and, therefore, dependency. In 2050, it is expected that more than half a million people in Catalonia will require home care, double that of 2021, and there will be fewer professionals to care for them due to the low birth rate.
Cooperatives, with their desire to put care and people at the center of our action, are and will be a key piece in leading the transformation of this sector. This phrase is not a mere slogan, but we promote the active participation of workers and organizational co-responsibility in order to build dignified work environments where professionals are valued and listened to.
Citizen participation in innovation processes
Another of the key values of cooperativism that allows us to build a better world is intercooperation between different agents and actors. In addition, with our desire to be able to transform society, we work from the territory and with the territory because no one knows its realities and needs better than people. For this reason, we encourage citizen participation and citizen action in the search for answers.
In this context, for example, at Suara Cooperativa, innovation is one of our driving forces to respond to the main social challenges. However, we do not develop these innovative solutions alone, but rather they are born from a process of co-creation and intercooperation, in which startups and technology companies, the academic world and research, public administration, as well as the person served and the worker also participate. Therefore, citizens also become a key player in the entire process of creating, designing and implementing responses to the challenges that affect them.
Care in a broad sense
Also, we need to understand care in a broad sense and, therefore, all people become co-responsible. For example, the UN warns that a quarter of the world's population will have a mental health disorder. In addition, according to a recent study by the Ministry of Social Rights, the prevalence of common work absences, not due to accidents or occupational diseases, was 19.9 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012, a figure that soared to 53.3 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2024.
Therefore, it is so important to put the person at the center as we do from cooperativism where we ensure their well-being. In this sense, it is essential that not only cooperatives, but all companies and organizations also get involved in the well-being of workers.
At Suara Cooperativa we do this with Benestarum, a digital platform where workers and work partners can have online sessions with experts in the field of nutrition, emotional and physical well-being, financial and energy advice, among others. In addition, we also have other services such as Deixa’t cuidar where they can access a physiotherapist or immersive Mindfulness.
Cooperatives are the answer to the care sector
We need to leave behind welfare models and for all of us to get involved in the transformation of the care model. We value initiatives such as those included in the Impulsa Barcelona Plan in relation to care with a positive eye. This is a clear example that we can move towards a fairer model and system.
However, this will only be possible if this transformation of the sector is led by the mission of cooperativism to put the person and life at the center, as well as the values that arise from it: intercooperation, community action, social cohesion, participation and innovation. Only in this way will care cease to be an invisible burden to be an action shared by all and, in this way, have the social recognition it deserves and be the pillar of the well-being of our societies.
Laia Bonastra,
president of Suara Cooperativa
