Broccoli with potatoes and turkey in the casserole: stewed lentils and ham omelette; macaroni bolognese and nuggets of broccoli; chickpea soup and beef meatballs; and every Thursday, fresh fish from the market. These are some of the menus offered by the Sol Ixent school in Corbins (Segrià), for both its primary school pupils and those of the municipal nursery. All dishes are cooked on the centre's premises. Hot meals and, in many cases, locally sourced. And, since last September, it has also been an intergenerational meal.

Poor medication management, inadequate or insufficient diets, poor hygiene, and failure to guarantee continuous care for residents are just some of the reasons why nursing homes in Catalonia have been sanctioned. Falsifying data, ignoring warnings from the administration, and obstructing inspections and the provision of information to families are also contributing factors. Since 2020, the total amount of fines has reached €5,321,733, according to data provided to ARA by the Department of Social Rights in response to a request submitted through the Catalan government's transparency portal. While the number of sanctioned residences is not specified, with the exception of 2020 and 2024, the number of sanctioning proceedings exceeds one hundred in all other years. However, the department allows residences that have rectified the infractions to invest the fine amount in facility improvements.

It's six o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, and Paco is heading back to the nursing home after having lunch at home with his family. The moment he steps out the door in his wheelchair, Antonia, his wife, collapses onto the sofa. "This breaks my heart," she says, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks. A recent decline in Paco's health has forced him to move into a care facility while she continues to live at home. Antonia has cared for her husband for years, even at the expense of her own health, and although the situation was no longer sustainable, they tried to postpone his move as long as possible to avoid being separated. Like them, many elderly couples are forced to separate after a lifetime together. While moving into a care facility is often the most logical decision at this stage of life, taking the step involves emotional difficulties. Paco is experiencing this change with some anxiety, because he says that many elderly people die in the center and that he would like to be surrounded by his family in his final days. "The centers are often the final destination; therefore, being admitted can bring with it a more existential loneliness, the feeling of never having been so close to death," acknowledge Laura Coll-Planas, a doctor with the Catalan Society of Geriatrics, part of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Catalonia, and Dolors Fitó, a member of the same society representing residents.

Just as society has aged, so too has the number of elderly people behind bars, resulting in a rising average prison age. Only 1% of incarcerated individuals are over 70, but this figure is double what it was fifteen years ago. However, the total number of prisoners has decreased during this period. Among those facing this stage of life in prison are inmates serving very long sentences, as well as those with shorter terms or those who committed crimes later in life. Various risk factors converge in prison, accelerating aging, leading experts to believe that a person ages much earlier in prison than in freedom.

The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested a 57-year-old caregiver in La Seu d'Urgell for allegedly stole 115,000 euros from an elderly couple The couple, who were caring for them, had been alerted that their bank account had been emptied with unauthorized transactions. Following the investigation, the police arrested the suspect, accused of fraud, identity theft, breach of trust, and theft after she withdrew cash. In the summer, the couple—an 89-year-old woman and a 92-year-old man, both dependent on care—had hired the worker to perform domestic chores and care for them. The woman filed the complaint after going to the bank with a companion and realizing that ten cash withdrawals totaling €4,800 and a bank transfer of €50,200 had been made from her account without her knowledge. They also noticed that the transfer entry in the passbook had been altered, as the first two digits had been erased to make it appear to be only €200.

About two years ago, prosecutors and notaries began working on a protocol to alert the public to potential scams targeting the elderly. The project stalled, but has now been relaunched with improved prospects for success, as explained this Thursday by Barcelona's chief prosecutor, Neus Pujal. Beside her, the delegated prosecutor for victim protection, Silvia Armero, noted that cases of financial abuse and exploitation could be detected even if the only red flags considered were when someone else gives instructions to the signatory and when "absolutely ruinous powers of attorney" are authorized, leaving the person financially vulnerable. "Notaries sometimes say, 'If I think they are capable or lucid and want to grant the power of attorney, even if it's a ruinous power of attorney, let's grant it,' but we say 'no,'" warns Barcelona's chief prosecutor, Neus Pujal. "If it's an elderly person, if there are indications that they are not acting freely or that their capacity is not fully developed, they cannot authorize that power of attorney," he adds. Pujal acknowledges the difficulty notaries face when deciding whether a person has sufficient cognitive capacity to sign a power of attorney or a will, for example, without a forensic doctor to advise them directly at the notary's office. However, the protocol being developed by the State Attorney General's Office and the General Council of Notaries will establish "basic indicators" that can guide them in their decision. Prosecutor Sílvia Armero detailed examples that may raise suspicions, such as a person who speaks very little or who comes with a relative who speaks on their behalf. Also, when a transaction is proposed that "no one in their right mind" would want to make due to the financial harm it would cause. The protocol for prosecutors and notaries, which is still being finalized and will be applied throughout the country, must include the measures to be taken if a notary fails to exercise these precautions. Pujal believes the logical course of action would be to inform the Notary Association in his area, and that there could be consequences, such as disciplinary proceedings, when it becomes clear that the evidence has been ignored. In fact, just a few weeks ago, the Public Prosecutor's Office already asked the notaries "Exercise extreme caution" in the face of the increase in scams and cases of financial abuse against the elderlyIn cases of suspicion, the public prosecutor's office asks notaries to halt all transactions and report the case. The prosecutor's office also works in coordination with banks, and Armero says that in some cases the banks themselves have alerted the public prosecutor's office and stopped suspicious transactions. Specifically, he explained the case of an elderly person who went to the bank every day with their caregiver to withdraw amounts of between 1,000 and 2,000 euros, until they had withdrawn a total of more than 100,000 euros.

Almost every week, the Public Prosecutor's Office receives a case of a person with cognitive impairment who has gone to the bank or notary's office to carry out an important procedure accompanied by another person, usually a family member or someone from their social circle, without being fully aware of what they were doing. These suspicions of financial abuse typically reach the desk of Antoni Torres, the prosecutor in charge of protecting the elderly and people with disabilities in Barcelona, ​​following alerts from social services or nursing home staff. In contrast, it is much less common for these cases to originate from the banks themselves—there is an agreement in place, but the fact that an alert is received still raises "surprise" for the Public Prosecutor's Office—or from notaries' offices. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, only two cases have been reported through notaries' offices in the entire Barcelona area in the last two years.

Blanca, Inma, and José Luis, all over 60, possess digital skills that defy stereotypes: they navigate the internet, book medical appointments online, and reserve digital theater tickets. They are three of the nearly 15,000 students who have participated in the Competències Digitals +60 project, promoted by Red.es and the "la Caixa" Foundation, among other organizations. Managing email and booking appointments online may seem like small tasks, but they are of great importance in an increasingly digital society. Therefore, Competències Digitales +60 works to bring new technologies to people over 60 in a useful and practical way. This training project includes a total of eight courses that address different everyday topics to facilitate digital integration and strengthen the autonomy and security of older adults: they learn to carry out online procedures, edit photos, organize trips, and interact safely on social media.

The vast majority are minor offenses, such as a petty theft suffered by an elderly person choosing fish at the market, who leaves their cart unattended, and a thief searches their pockets for valuables. Or cases where strangers offer to help carry shopping bags upstairs and, once inside the apartment, rummage through drawers. Every day in Catalonia, up to 200 senior citizens are victims of crime. Practically four out of ten incidents are thefts, without violence or intimidation. And two out of ten are scams.

It's the final dress fitting, and Maria Àngels Gómez emerges from the fitting room with a look of satisfaction on her face, of being able to wear the style she likes and no other. The dress is long, lilac, and has a pointed bodice that ends in a low neckline. "You look very pretty, elegant," one of the salespeople tells her as she looks at herself again and again in the mirror with a smile on her face. It's precisely the idea she had for her 50th wedding anniversary celebration, "something cheerful and elegant," she describes. Finding this dress has cost her a "big upset" and is yet another example of the ageist prejudices embedded in society.

It was not until November 2023 that the Dictionary of the Catalan Language of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans admitted the concept of ageism as discrimination based on age. Despite the youth of this term, the formulas and fashions with which it is applied pass from generation to generation and become especially severe with age. psychogerontologist Montse Celdrán has collected fifty of these expressions in the Glossary on ageism that the La Caixa Foundation published two years ago. The booklet is the result of prior work among users of the entity's clubs on the stereotypes surrounding old age, the comments that make them feel bad, and their self-perception. "Language is not innocuous," says Celdrán, who is part of the Gerontology Research Group at the University of Barcelona. The expert also points to the desire to raise awareness and change these discriminatory expressions.

We all aspire to live many years of health and fulfillment. In fact, more and more people are reaching advanced age. The global population over 65 will grow rapidly over the next decade: from 1.565 billion individuals in 2024 (19.5% of the population) to 1.948 billion in 2034 (22.8%). And the number of those over 80 will increase by 29.3%. Demographic change is also accompanied by people enjoying better living conditions, more education, and fewer children. And yet, too often we continue to treat older people as if they cannot make their own decisions, as if they were minors. This is called ageism—there is also ageism for minors, but the most common is that of the elderly. And it is an increasingly evident social problem.

Ghosts exist. Today, ghosts are the godparents. Grandparents, grandparents, the elderly, the third age, the golden age… In four microseconds, they will be baptized as fourth, fifth, millennial age. As beautiful old age; domesticated, reposeful, symmetrical beauty; the spring cycle of well-managed maturity… They are even losing their name, their names. There is no longer an I. Spectral socialization exists. They are lost souls: no one sees them. No one wants to see them. Look.

This Wednesday we signed the Second addendum of 2025 to the sectoral agreement on the bases for the construction of a social services system specific to Catalonia, an agreement between the Government, unions, and employers' associations to improve the sector and the working conditions of professionals and ensure the sustainability of the companies that provide this service.

Is called voice hacking –voice hacking– and it's one of the thousand ways scammers find to steal. The Mossos d'Esquadra have already received complaints from people who receive calls from known numbers in their address book and who, in the voice of a daughter or partner, ask for money. In reality, it's a voice created by artificial intelligence that attempts to simulate those of the victims' trusted people with the aim of getting them to make a financial transfer or provide key information to empty their account. The alert was issued this Monday by Mossos d'Esquadra spokesperson Montserrat Escudé during the event organized by the Movement to Stop Elder Abuse. It's not that this new technique puts the group in the crosshairs, but it does indicate that they are a particularly vulnerable group. Age is one of the factors that makes older people one of the targets of thieves and cyber fraudsters, but there are others that also contribute, such as the lack of a social network and emotional support and unwanted loneliness.

"The tsunami of seniors is already here," warn sources from the Department of Health. Therefore, the authorities face a major challenge: adapting the healthcare system to the new social reality of an increasingly aging and fragile population. In fact, one in five Catalans over the age of 65 is not in good health and requires more intensive healthcare and social care than the rest. Currently, practically half of the regional budget—approximately €12 billion—is allocated to the care and treatment of these individuals, but the Department of Health admits that almost a third of these resources provide no benefit to patients. For example, duplications and contraindications arise between the different healthcare centers and specialists who treat them.

This Tuesday both the TN regions like the TN noon reported on the arrival of a robotic stuffed seal at a nursing home. The rather rudimentary, mechanical animal with round eyes and soft white fur moves its flippers and long eyelashes and makes small noises when touched and spoken to. It's part of a university research project to test whether these types of devices improve the quality of life of older adults, whether with or without dementia. According to both those responsible for the study and those at the center, the Nuka seal stimulated social communication and provided peace of mind to some of the elderly residents of the home. A woman carrying the robot on her shoulders like a baby stated on camera that the seal had given her great peace. The report showed the elderly interacting with the robot as if it were a living being. The journalist covering the story also humanized the object: "Now Nuka is resting and has finished his visit to Conca de Barberà."

CaixaBank has launched a strategy to attract customers over 60, a growing segment of the population. The bank, which has more than four million customers across Spain over the age of 65 and manages 34% of retirement pensions, has decided to launch a range of products and services aimed at this population, following the guidelines set out in the 2025-2027 strategic plan. The proposal includes alternatives for financial planning, but also leisure, training, and care options.

Dozens of families are trying to take to court care homes where their parents or grandparents died during the first waves of covid in 2020 as a way to complete their process of mourning . "Until I find out the truth I will not be able to finish this strange mourning," confesses one of those affected by the Residencial Palau nursing home, in the town of Palau-solità i Plegamans, the latest addition to list of homes denounced by the Prosecutor's Office so that a court in Sabadell can investigate whether there was negligence in the 40 deaths during those dramatic months. The witness, who prefers not to identify herself, claims that the search for justice also responds to the fact that she owes it to her dead father: "responsibilities [must] be clarified and the facts [must] be clarified".

As every Friday two friends queue up at the cafeteria after having gone for their hour's walk to keep their "legs and mind" in shape. The ritual is the same as always, but today they have their covid pass with them: this Friday it will be compulsory to show it to access bars, restaurants, gyms and care homes. Rosa Casas and Núria Garcia are 72 and 75, and they are totally independent, but, like a large number of elderly people – "you can call us old ladies", they say – the need to obtain this QR code to continue living a normal life has been an added concern for them. "My daughter did it for me when she came home, because even though I tried I couldn't get it," complains Garcia, who says she "gets angry" when she has to "bother the children" to get them to solve her problems. Casas was helped by her husband, who had taken an "internet course" for the elderly.