More than 73,000 people over the age of 15 in La Rioja suffer from chronic pain.

• Among the population of La Rioja (328,313 inhabitants), approximately 1,901 fragility fractures are recorded each year.

• The OAFI Foundation launches the OAFI Space programme, an initiative that combines architecture and medicine to adapt the spaces we live in to our joint health, preventing accidents in them.

• The Ballesol Logroño Nursing Home has been the first facility in La Rioja to obtain this recognition, certified on Wednesday as a centre that cares for the joint health of its residents according to OAFI Space criteria.

Logroño, 30 October 2025

This Wednesday, 29 October, the Osteoarthritis Foundation International (OAFI), under the OAFI Space initiative, a unique programme at national and international level, the result of OAFI’s R&D, which observes, reviews and certifies spaces based on their adaptability to joint health, has accredited the Ballesol Logroño Nursing Home (La Rioja) as a space that promotes and protects the joint health of its residents.

The Ballesol Group has been the first to obtain OAFI Space certification for functional suitability as spaces that promote active ageing. The Ballesol Logroño Nursing Home has been the first centre in La Rioja and northern Spain to obtain this recognition. The accreditation ceremony, held on Wednesday 29 October, highlighted the importance of caring for and adapting the spaces in which we live to the needs of our elderly in order to ensure that they can enjoy active and healthy ageing.

It is estimated that in Spain there are more than 7 million patients with osteoarthritis and more than 3 million with osteoporosis, diseases that affect the proper functioning of our joints and bones. It is estimated that in our country there are 300,000 fragility fractures per year, 60% of which occur in our homes, specifically in the bathroom.

Given the difficulty of recovering from these fractures, with only 40% of those affected regaining their previous independence, the lack of diagnosis and the high mortality rate they entail (up to 20% in people over 80 and 30% in the case of hip fractures), it is necessary to adapt spaces to the people who live in them in order to prevent this type of accident.

Joint health and La Rioja

The progressive ageing of the population (it is estimated that by 2050, people over 60 will make up more than 40% of the population) highlights the need to create spaces that help us age healthily, prevent possible falls and fractures, and help us recover properly. In relation to the 2025 joint health report presented by OAFI, and in relation to La Rioja, the most relevant data show that chronic pain affects 25.9% of people over the age of 15 in La Rioja.

There are an estimated 414 hip fractures per year. In terms of fragility fractures, approximately 1,901 fragility fractures are recorded each year in the population as a whole (328,313 inhabitants).

The study also highlights the number of falls among the elderly: among people aged 65 and over (around 72,941 people), falls occur at a rate of 30% per year, which equates to around 21,882 people suffering falls each year.

For this reason, the OAFI Foundation promotes the programme OAFI Space, with the aim of adapting spaces to the joint health of the people who live in them, including a new health perspective within spatial design. Carried out by a multidisciplinary team of experts in architecture and medicine, OAFI Space reviews, certifies and reconfigures spaces according to the needs of people with problems affecting the mobility of their joints, preventing falls and fractures.

The Ballesol Logroño Nursing Home for the Elderly was the first in La Rioja and northern Spain to obtain OAFI Space certification for functional suitability and the fifth within the Ballesol Group. The certification ceremony, held at the nursing home itself, was attended by Dr Fermín García, medical director of Ballesol, Mrs. Gema Conde, director of Ballesol Logroño, together with Dr Josep Vergés, president of OAFI and member of the OAFI Space committee, and institutional representatives Maria Martin Diez de Baldeón, Minister of Health and Social Policies of La Rioja, and Patricia Sainz, Councillor for Family, Social Services and Disability of the Logroño City Council.

As Dr Vergés stated, “At OAFI Space, we work to adapt the environments in which we live and work to promote joint health, especially among older people. Preventing falls and fractures begins with safe spaces that reduce risks and promote mobility. This not only contributes to improving quality of life and well-being, but also helps to reduce the burden on the healthcare system. Taking care of our joints is essential for active and healthy ageing.”

Ballesol Logroño in La Rioja highlighted this residential centre’s commitment to ‘offering life projects in environments that are friendly to older people’. The residence in this city is an ‘example of accessible architecture that contributes to creating spaces that improve health, understood as physical, mental and social well-being’.

For her part, Doña Maria Martin Diez de Baldeón, Minister of Health and Social Policy for La Rioja, highlighted the aim of ‘turning a residence into a home’ where residents can also recover from any illness. She emphasised that ‘every corner of this building has been designed with the head but above all with the heart, knowing who it is aimed at, the result of a job well done and a vocation that is nurtured day by day’.

The partnership between OAFI and Grupo Ballesol through OAFI Space accreditation is a key step towards ensuring the joint health of our elderly, creating adapted environments that improve their wellbeing, prevent falls and promote active and healthy ageing.

About OAFI

Osteoarthritis Foundation International (OAFI) is the first and only non-profit foundation in the world dedicated exclusively to people suffering from osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and other osteoarticular conditions. Founded in 2016 and based in Barcelona, OAFI leads the global fight for joint health, promoting education, prevention, research and patient support programmes. Its mission is to improve the quality of life of those living with these conditions by promoting early detection, self-care and patient empowerment. Through international conferences, awareness campaigns, scientific projects and collaborations, OAFI works to place joint health at the centre of the health and social agenda.

Ballesol Commitment

Ballesol —residential homes for the elderly and senior apartments and suites—is one of Spain’s leading companies in care for the elderly and dependent persons. With over 40 years of experience in the sector, it manages a total of 55 residences. Since it began operating in 1980, Ballesol has been exclusively dedicated to providing residential and care services for the elderly. True to its commitment to ensuring the best care for its residents, Ballesol offers a quality care system based on direct, personalised and innovative care that creates a bond of closeness and affection with each resident and their families, providing them with the highest quality health and wellbeing services.

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