Expats who have been used to efficient state provision for the elderly in their own countries could face a nasty shock in Spain.

The only thing worse than growing old, some cynic once remarked, is not growing old.

That may or may not be true, but one certainty is that growing old when you have made no provisions for your old age can be a very unpleasant business – especially for the expatriate.

With the exception of a lucky few, old age brings attendant infirmities, and many foreigners are accustomed to think that these will alleviated by the facilities of the Spanish state.

Not necessarily so, as we found when we spoke to people involved in care for the aged in Spain.

Age Concern Costa Blanca Sur is probably the largest UK-style charity to help the aged on the Costa Blanca, in south-eastern Spain.

Angela Keay, their president, says her organisation does its best to help those in need, but it is simply not always possible in some cases.

"So many people come out here assuming that Spain has the same facilities as the UK," Keay explained.

"But it hasn’t. Their resources can barely cope with their own people, let alone a huge influx of foreigners.

"Let’s face it, a lot of us are going to face illnesses in our old age, and belonging to the Spanish public health service isn’t enough."

For one thing, many clinics demand that foreign patients bring a translator with them; that can cost EUR 20 an hour, which soon mounts up, especially if you have to wait to see the doctor.
 
And free home care nursing is seldom available, which can add greatly to monthly expenditure; in the case of British expats, if all you have is a UK senior citizens pension, it isn’t long before you are feeling the pinch.

“The big trouble is that so many people simply assume that UK benefits are payable in Spain.,” said Keay.

“But that isn’t the case. All people have to do is check with the pensions authorities in the UK and they’ll tell you exactly what your entitlements are, but so many neglect even that basic precaution.”

Many benefits are what are called ‘non exportable’, i.e. they only apply to British residents, not those who choose to live abroad.

And only the UK pensions authorities can tell you what your entitlements are.

Some elderly people are isolated abroad

Lesson One; don’t listen to what an estate agent, or someone you met in a bar tells you – speak to the authorities in your own country to ascertain your actual entitlements.

One charity worker – who asked not to be named – highlighted another problem.

“I had a call from a man in his eighties, who’d just called the number on the off-chance of hearing an English voice,” she told us.

“He’d moved out with his son and daughter-in-law to a remote finca.

"It was okay for them, they went out to work, but he literally spoke to nobody all day long, he was totally isolated. Poor old chap, he was just so lonely.”

Lesson two; if you move to Spain in your later years, think hard before moving to a remote area - you may be far happier in an ‘enclave’, be it British, American or German, where you’re amongst your own kind.

And well-meaning children bringing Mum and Dad out to Spain should also consider very carefully; they may think they’re doing them a favour, but in fact they’re merely uprooting them from everything familiar to them.

Most British people have grown up, and grown old, in the environment of a welfare state; they are accustomed to the concept of state care.

But in Spain it has never really taken root.

Spanish culture involves families caring for their own elderly, and if the family lives 1,000 miles away, the state is not necessarily prepared to step in.

The concept of Care Homes is gaining ground, here, but only just.

Special ‘retirement’ complexes are available, but they cost serious money.

True, there are state retirement homes, but you need to have your name down for years – and to have taken out full Spanish residency.

Some firms are looking into equity realisation schemes, where you can access some of the capital tied up in your home, but this is a very new concept in Spain, still not widely available.

So the main lesson for the elderly is, research your finances, thoroughly, and - if you cannot afford to live easily in Spain - think carefully before abandoning the safety nets inherent in  your own country's state provision.

Contacts: Age Concern Spain

www.acespana.org 

[January 2005]

[Copyright Expatica]

Subject: Life in Spain, care for the elderly