This paper presents a case study of the Local Care Ecosystems developed by the provincial government of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain) to strengthen coordination between social services, health services, and community-based initiatives at the municipal level. The initiative seeks to personalize care, enhance service integration, and support community-based care with the overarching goal of improving the quality of life for older adults living at home. These ecosystems incorporate social, institutional, and technological innovations aimed at supporting individuals who are frail or vulnerable throughout the care cycle. At present, 18 Local Care Ecosystems are active, providing services to 1202 people over the age of 65 and 167 families. The model addresses a growing global challenge linked to population aging, which has led to increasing demand for care and support services that are often fragmented, under-resourced, and constrained by outdated regulatory frameworks. These structural issues can compromise both the quality and efficiency of care for dependent individuals. Based on the findings, the paper offers policy recommendations to support the transfer and adaptation of this model, with the aim of improving the well-being of older adults who wish to remain in their own homes.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis has had an unprecedented impact on Spanish society regarding health and social issues. The purpose of this study is to analyse the potential relationship that may exist between social and personal factors and the levels of psychological distress experienced by the Spanish population during lockdown. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using an ad hoc online questionnaire consisting of forty-three questions. The survey was administered to a sample of 3,436 people that were living in Spain during the second extension of the State of Alarm. A linear mixed model with random intersection has been used. Our findings demonstrate the intersectional vulnerability of young women and the impact different factors such as a COVID-19 diagnosis, experiencing symptoms compatible with COVID, an existing disability, a previous illness or solitary confinement may have on psychological distress levels. Conversely, higher resilience levels have shown a correlation with lower psychological distress levels.

In conditions of liquid modernity, marked by accelerated technological change, the virtualization of essential services, and the erosion of stable institutional support, digital participation in later life is less a matter of initial access than of continuously renegotiating engagement within unstable socio-technical environments. While established technology adoption models such as TAM, UTAUT, and STAM have provided robust explanations of cognitive and age-related determinants of adoption, they remain limited in accounting for the relational processes through which technological engagement is learned, stabilized, and sustained over time. This article advances a relational perspective on technology appropriation by foregrounding the role of warm experts—trusted informal supporters who mediate learning, interpretation, and adaptation in everyday contexts. Moving beyond dyadic understandings of assistance, the paper conceptualizes mediation as a distributed ecology of roles embedded within relational networks that both enable and constrain digital inclusion. Building on this perspective, the study proposes the Relational Technology Appropriation Model (RELTAM) as a general multi-level architecture integrating individual determinants, relational mediation processes, and network-level support configurations within a dynamic framework of appropriation. The Relational (Older Adult) Technology Appropriation Model (REL(OA)TAM) is introduced as a context-specific instantiation of this broader framework, calibrated to the distinctive conditions of later life. By incorporating temporal instability and mediation ecologies as structural components, REL(OA)TAM offers a socially grounded account of digital inclusion as an ongoing process of adaptive negotiation within the fluid and uncertain conditions of liquid modernity.

This article analyses how the simultaneous pursuit of green decarbonisation and digital transformation—the twin transition—generates disproportionate structural burdens on marginalised social groups. Drawing on Max Weber’s ideal‐type methodology (Idealtypus) and Spanish statistical evidence, it develops six prototypical profiles of structural exclusion across key twin‐transition sectors: urban mobility and transport, the platform and gig economy, rural energy and depopulation, digital public infrastructure and smart cities, digital agriculture, and urban renovation. Each profile identifies the mechanisms through which green and digital policies impose unequal costs on vulnerable groups, examining the resulting dynamics of institutional disaffection, potential political radicalisation, and common structural patterns. Comparative analysis identifies four recurring exclusion mechanisms—the upfront cost barrier, the digital literacy gateway, the geographic penalty, and knowledge disqualification—tracing a common pathway from structural exclusion to political disaffection. The article concludes by proposing five governance principles grounded in community work and participatory governance, offering a framework transferable to comparable EU contexts.

El objetivo de este trabajo es desarrollar algunos conceptos teóricos relevantes que permitan reflexionar sobre la práctica del Trabajo Social y las consecuencias del poder que se ejerce a través de las categorías diagnósticas y el etiquetado. Para ello, en primer lugar, se expondrá el entramado teórico vinculado a la Nueva Escuela de Chicago y el Interaccionismo Simbólico, poniendo énfasis en lo que posteriormente se denominó labelling theory (o teoría del etiquetamiento). En segundo lugar, se explora el concepto de estigma desde una perspectiva sociológica, aludiendo al proceso interaccional que le atribuyó Goffman (1963/2012a). En tercer lugar, se exponen algunos problemas éticos y epistemológicos en el uso de categorías diagnósticas en el ámbito del Trabajo Social. Por último, se plantean una serie de conclusiones que sirven como punto de partida para pensar el Trabajo Social desde una posición ética que desplace el hacer profesional del etiquetamiento (de objetos) al empoderamiento y la emancipación (de sujetos).

Introduction: This study explores the critical discourse of patients and activists regarding their personal experiences within the Spanish Psychiatric System, highlighting the challenges they face when interacting with mental health professionals and resources. Methodology: A descriptive qualitative design was employed. From 2021 to 2022, five focus groups (n=32) were conducted with individuals diagnosed with mental health issues. The participants’ varied interactions within the psychiatric system provided insights into their diverse experiences and perspectives. Results: Participants frequently reported not feeling adequately listened to by mental health professionals, lacking involvement in decisions concerning their treatment, and experiencing barriers to full societal participation due to their psychiatric diagnoses. Discussions: Through Fricker’s concept of epistemic injustice, examples of testimonial and hermeneutic injustice were identified, highlighting how patients feel their voices and experiences are undervalued, impacting both their care and their ability to engage as citizens. Conclusions: The study emphasizes the urgent need to involve patients in decisions regarding their treatment, based on their own experiences, and to improve their societal inclusion, ensuring that their perspectives are heard and respected.