Social Welfare Conference
Espai La Senieta in Moriara on Tuesday, 23rd January

The meeting, not open to the public, was jointly run by the Hospital de Dénia andThe British Consulate. Invited guests were representatives of English-speakingcharities and community groups.

The objective was to initiate a programme of:

  • information on the public health and social care resources at local level in the Valencian community;
  • create awareness of the need for English-speaking residents to plan for old age, especially where no family help is available;
  • further coordination between public health services, local government and English-speaking representative groups.

Below is an outline of what emerged from the meeting.

SPANISH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IMPACT OF

GROWING ELDERLY POPULATION

Valencian Community Initiative to Inform & Educate Non-Spanish Residents,

notably English-Speaking

All European Governments are concerned about the impact on healthcare provision due to rapidly growing population levels, especially a rising proportion of elderly people. Spain is suffering to a greater extent than most by virtue of its attraction as a place of retirement for nationals from every country in Europe. As a result, it has launched a programme to try to inform and educate foreign residents about the need to prepare for the eventuality of being alone and facing the prospect of hospital admission or needing care in the home.

The Spanish tradition of family-support during sickness, around which healthcare operates, is rarely available to foreign nationals whose family almost exclusively live elsewhere.Therefore residents, especially the elderly, need to know how to cope with illness on their own, to make plans for the eventuality and how to access help if needed.

The Valencian Community has set-up a programme to educate and inform ‘ex-pats’, and is targeting the English-speaking foreign residents through a series of initiatives around public meetings run by representatives of local government, Spanish health providers and the British Consulate. Plans are in hand to hold a public meeting in Jávea, possibly as early as February. Key issues will be:

what social care and public healthcare resources will be available from the Valencian authorities and how to access them;

how to discover where to obtain help;

to make individuals aware of the resources they need and the information that should be readily available in the event of sickness.

Two vital elements to accessing healthcare (beyond emergency treatment) are to:

1) be registered with the Padron;

2) if living alone, to carry at all times a document containing fundamental personal information.

Details of item 2) are being obtained by APMJ for its members. There is an extensive list of healthcare information internet web sites available to residents. Among the most important are:

People in need of support should contact the English Enquiry Desk at Jávea Town Hall [el Clot] where services such as Meals On Wheels can be arranged: however such support comes with caveats (somebody must be available to open the door of the property, for example).

The European Blue Disability Car Driving Badge is recognised in Spain and Spanish Badges can be obtained: however, it takes up to two years to secure approval and candidates must first undergo a test in Alicante. Dénia Hospital has a Social Worker (Sonia Dura) who is supported by English-speaking Candy Wright. If anyone entering hospital wishes to implement a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ Order, they need to complete a form available at the hospital which should become part of their personal information pack (see item 2) above.

Anyone wishing to return to the UK can obtain a copy of their Spanish medical record by applying in person at Dénia Hospital Help Desk. Returning to the UK can be made considerably easier through contact with the British Consulate in Alicante where a specialist advisor is available to smooth the process.

The current Social Advisor is:

Virginia Ayllon Ruiz, British Consulate

Edificio Espacio

Rambla MendezNunez 28-32

03002 Alicante

Telephone: 965 216 022

In the event of serious financial difficulty there exists in Madrid a branch of The British Benevolent Fund Contact: .