Mayte Sancho Castiello is a researcher, psychologist-gerontologist, communicator and activist who works to improve the lives of older people, their families, and their communities. Her professional career is inseparably linked to the generation of knowledge about older age. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Matia Foundation and the civil society organisation ‘Amigos de los Mayores’, and her work is infused with the intent to combat ageism.
Mayte Sancho Castiello has had a long career as a civil servant at the Spanish Government’s Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (IMSERSO), where notably she created and directed the first Observatory on Ageing in Spain as well as co-directed the creation and implementation of the ‘Portalmayores’ knowledge exchange platform with the Spanish National Research Council. Landmark studies such as the Survey of Living Conditions of Older People in Spain and the biannual reports ‘Older people in Spain’, among others, were the direct result of Mayte Sancho Castiello’s work at IMSERSO. Furthermore, Mayte Sancho Castiello was a key player in the design of the Law for the Promotion of Personal Autonomy and Care for Dependent Persons, the drafting of the Spanish Government’s White Paper on Dependency, and the organisation of the Second World Assembly on Ageing held in Madrid – leading to the adoption of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing.
Mayte Sancho Castiello’s recent work has been dedicated to the reformulation and promotion of new models of care for older people who are dependent and home-based. Always close to the world of research and innovation despite her established list of accomplishments in healthy ageing at national and regional levels, she is undoubtedly one of the most recognised leaders in the field of gerontology in Spain.