27/09/2013 00:00
TW
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TWO members of Age Concern Britain, Jacqui Morrissey and Oscar Franklin, are visiting Majorca to look at the new Infoline service, introduced at Palma's British Consulate earlier this month, which is similar to the one in Britain, and is the first in Spain. They were accompanied by Judy Arnold-Boakes MBE, patron of Age Concern Spain.
The good news is that the initiative should be working full time for the rest of Spain by Easter, and it will be based in Palma. Age Concern Britain helped train the volunteers who run the Infoline, which Judy Arnold-Boakes described as a major step forward. Another project which Age Concern Majorca is currently working on is establishing its own day centre.
Judy Arnold-Boakes pointed out that one of the biggest problems facing elderly British ex-pats is loneliness and Age Concern would like to establish a day centre on the island, where people can drop in and have a chat. The problem of loneliness is likely to get bigger as more and more people opt for retirement in the sun, choosing Majorca as their second home.
Such a project requires money, and the bulk of the funding of Age Concern Spain comes from 14 UK charities, including Army, Navy and Air Force charities, although local fund-raising activities and donations are always welcome. The day centre will need adequate funding, a proper location and properly trained staff.
Another important part of Age Concern Spain's work is to campaign for allowances such as attendance or cold weather benefits to be paid in Spain. The attendance benefit is a non-means tested allowance to pay for carers but it is only paid here if the person received it in the UK prior to 1992. Judy Arnold-Boakes and the two British representatives said that they hoped anyone considering retirement in Spain would do their homework first.
People are gradually becoming aware that Spain is not necessarily a “paradise in the sun” and that it is not such a welfare state as many people think, they said. Age Concern urges all pensioners to get their legal situation sorted out, otherwise they maybe losing out on benefits.
They hope people will ring the Infoline before coming here and to do their homework properly, as retirement needs a lot of preplanning.