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• The Elderly

The Elderly

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• The Elderly

The GSD has always had as one of its core values that looking after its elderly is a mark of the quality of a society. In Gibraltar’s case this is underscored by the fact that we owe our current prosperous lifestyles to our forefathers and older generations without whose perseverance, determination and sacrifices we would not enjoy the stability, security and prosperity that Gibraltar knows today.

The GSD Government has placed these thoughts at the heart of its policy for the elderly, and implemented a series of policies to enhance their quality of life to a level that is at the forefront of Europe:

• • Old Age Pensions: increased by 85%!

• • Tax on pension income: ABOLISHED

• • £10,887 (excluding pensions and community care): ABOLISHED

• • High Government debenture interest rates to boost savings income despite near zero market savings rates ;

• • Free Bus travel;

• • Tax on savings income and death duties ABOLISHED

• • Minimum Income Guarantee introduced (and subsequently increased by 38%) to ensure that no elderly person has to live on less than £513 per month (or £684 for a married couple);

• • Many opportunities given to complete pension contributions record and get full pension;

• • ABOLISHED: driving licence renewal and medical test fees, passport renewal fees and TV licence;

• • ABOLISHED: need for over 60s to pay social insurance contributions

• • Working pensioners allowed to retain Community Care Officers fee

• • Swimming pool and terrace for the elderly

• • 900% increase in annual spending on elderly care

• • Physical activities programmes and computer courses

• • Special programmes to eliminate cataract and knee replacement surgery waiting lists

• • Employment of Consultant geriatrician and therapists

Our elderly care policy includes addressing the very specific and progressively changing housing needs of the elderly through a policy that is based on three basic principles: first, that most elderly people want to continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible; secondly, that as elderly people get older their need for support increases until ultimately they become incapable of independent living; and thirdly, since our elderly are happily for us all living longer, families need increasing amounts of help to look after their elderly.

For these reasons, we have devised an elderly persons housing policy which is layered progressively to meet the different and changing needs of elderly people as their circumstances change with age:

• • The first tier is a series of policy initiatives to facilitate elderly people being able to continue to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. These include: reserving ground floor flats for the elderly, installing lifts in Government housing, domiciliary care, respite facilities for families, and therapy;

• • The second tier is the building of rental housing for elderly people who need/want to live in smaller houses, in the lower town area, with collective social facilities and porter/caretaker services, panic button systems etc., but who are able to live independently e.g. Bishop Canilla House and Albert Risso House.

• • The third tier (currently under construction at the old St. Bernard’s Hospital) is specially designed residential accommodation for elderly people who have lost a degree of ability to live independently and wish to have their own bedroom/bathroom, but shared lounges, dining and kitchen facilities in which they are provided with meals, laundry and more intense warden service.

• • The fourth tier is residential accommodation for elderly people in need of nursing home level care. Mount Alvernia has been taken over by the Government, refurbished, expanded from 62 to 135 beds and the quality of its service transformed beyond recognition.

• • The fifth tier (currently under construction at the Old Naval Hospital in Europa Road) is a specialist residential home for sufferers of Alzeimer’s or dementia.