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A few years ago one of the main problems of small villages in Spain was the ageing of the population. Young couples went off to the cities in search of greater opportunities and the elderly stayed behind. Nowadays this phenomenon is no longer exclusive to villages : fewer babies are born and the elderly live much longer than before. Moreover, Spain in general and the province of Malaga in particular, is extremely inviting for senior citizens from abroad in search of the ideal spot where to spend their last years.
The latest data on the population of the province of Malaga confirm that the Costa del Sol has become the favourite retirement home of third age Europeans – not just for a second home but to live for most of the year – and this means that the number of octogenarians has shot up.
In just a decade the number of over eighties has risen by 50 per cent.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, there are currently 43,400 people in that age group in the province. Of that number 5,000 are foreigners – double the number there were ten years ago.
Sur in English (The number of over eighties in the province of Malaga has risen with the influx of foreigners ; 08/09/2005) reports that the vast majority are from the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, Denmark and Holland.
The increase in the population of elderly people – both Spaniards and foreigners – is putting pressure on the health services, which are not equipped to care for so many senior citizens.
The situation is further aggravated by foreigners with a second home in the province taking advantage of their stay here to receive free medical treatment, as guaranteed under an EU agreement.
In addition to saturating the health services the growing number of elderly people has led to a shortage of places in old people's homes.
Faced with a shortage of public resources and wishing to maintain their independence, foreigners on the whole opt to live on luxury developments on the coast with a wide range of leisure facilities on hand, and above all medical care.
www.surinenglish.com |
