,Ten years on from Brexit and there is a lot of cover in the press about what worked and what didn’t work. But little attention at the time, or since, has been paid to the plight of Britons resident in Spain who become lonely, depressed, isolated, as a result of ill health or the loss of a partner, and for whom a family in the UK, with only limited visiting time to the EU (90 days in every 180 without a visa), can barely do enough to help.
An article in Reuters has drawn attention to the problem, citing the case of one British resident of Almeria, who cannot cook, clean or dress by herself, and is heavily dependent on her children regularly flying out to care for her. Her son is quoted as saying, “The way the (Brexit) withdrawal agreement was written means we’ve had to give up our lives and careers”. The lady in question added, “The agreement was terrible. They didn’t think it through,…..I’m so ashamed I’ve caused [my children] this stress.”
But this situation is multiplied thousands of times over in Andalucia.
Here at St George’s we are aware of the growing problem of isolation among elderly resident Brits, many of whom even struggle with sufficient Spanish to talk to their neighbours, or, in some cases, to summon help. It is for this reason we are teaming up with Age in Spain, a charity that supports elderly English speakers here so that they can live fulfilling lives, no matter the challenges they face. With an army of dedicated and experienced volunteers, they provide personalised support and practical tools to help people plan ahead and embrace life in Spain with confidence. They recently joined us for our Gala Dinner and national President, Marijke Cazemier told something of their activities.
Reuters provided some numbers to give us an idea of the scale of the problem: “Spain’s resident British population, the largest in the EU at around 266,000 according to official statistics, is ageing fast. The number of over-75s has grown from 36,000 in July 2016 to over 51,000 at the start of last year”. They quote Sally Myburgh, a British resident of Malaga who runs a Facebook group offering advice for navigating Spain post-Brexit: “This is a recurring problem that isn’t going to go away…”The attitude is they should just go back to England… but these people are at the end of their lives….this is their home,” she said.
Read the article in Reuters here. Do you know someone who is elderly, isolated or lonely? Dertails on how to contact Age in Spain, here. To learn more about Age in Spain, visit their website here.