Mallorca loneliness plan has no budget, PSIB says

Mallorca’s plan to tackle loneliness in old age still has no budget, the PSIB says: a woman of 78 lay dead at home for weeks without an alert from neighbours or authorities. PSIB councillor Beatriz Gamundí cites her case as she prepares to bring a motion before the Mallorca Island Council on Thursday. She wants the council to put its strategy, approved in early 2025, into action.

A plan without funding

Gamundí says the council has done little more than set up a working group within its observatory for older people. She says the strategy has no budget or concrete measures. Her motion calls for a dedicated allocation in the council’s 2027 budget and a fund to support local community work.

Calls for alerts and housing help

The PSIB wants a network to spot older people at risk of isolation. Shops, pharmacies, home-help services, neighbours and social organisations would all have a part in raising alerts.

Gamundí also points to the eviction of Pilar, a 65-year-old woman with a disability, from her home in Palma, Mallorca, about three months ago. The motion calls for stronger housing advice, with the housing office working alongside the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs to offer legal advice and mediation to vulnerable older people. It also seeks help and technical advice to adapt homes for older people or those with reduced mobility. The council is due to debate the proposals on Thursday.

Topics: Social affairs · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com