Article

This is an original article as printed in the Guardian Weekly which is suitable for advanced comprehension classes and groups. It was written by Dale Fuchs in Madrid.

Norway's elderly sent south for sun and cheap care

Norway is exporting its elderly and infirm to southern Spain in the hope that the Mediterranean climate will help them live longer and that lower costs will save the state money.

In a new twist on care for the elderly, thousands of Norwegians are relaxing in the Spanish sun and taking health cures at a growing number of geriatric and rehabilitation centres run by Norwegian municipalities and staffed almost entirely by Norwegians in the Alicante region.

All the Norwegians have to do is get the approval of their doctors, fill in a few forms and they are eligible for six weeks to a lifetime stay at the expense of Norwegian taxpayers.

"Instead of building a new treatment centre in Oslo, local authorities can just build one in southern Spain," said Lotte Tollefsen, a spokeswoman at the Norwegian embassy in Madrid. "It is easy to find qualified medical personnel and the climate is very beneficial to the patients. Compared to the Norwegian winters, it's a soothing balm."

Salaries, land prices and ordinary living expenses are also considerably lower in Alicante than in Norway, one of the most expensive countries in the world. Many doctors and nurses are even willing to accept lower pay in exchange for the chance to work in sunny Spain.

The governments of chilly cities such as Oslo or Stavanger have already opened five residences, most of them near the town of L'Alfas del Pi, home to about 10,000 Norwegians. The largest, Reumasol, operated by a state-subsidised rheumatism association, sees approximately 2,500 patients a year. The complex includes 44 apartments, 32 hotel rooms, three pools and a miniature golf course. Those who come without a doctor's orders pay $800-$1,350 for two weeks.

A sixth residence is expected to open in Altea next year, and other municipalities are scouting for building sites. The Norwegian government has even opened a social security office in Alicante.

"I'm sure this is just the start," said Marit Moller Wolfe, director of Fundacion Betanien, a geriatric residence in Alfas del Pi operated by the city of Bergen. "Every month we receive visits from a different delegation of politicians from Norway who want to copy how we do it."

At Betanien most patients are shuttled each year between Bergen and this pastel-coloured haven with a garden, swimming pool and outings to the local market. And the cost is covered entirely by the state pensions, with spending money to spare, Moller Wolfe said.

"It's warm, it's delicious, it's everything Norway isn't," said Tor Slitvold, who came to the Baerumshjemmet centre in Altea from Trondheim to lose weight and stabilise his gait. "I'm going home tomorrow and I feel terrible about it."

Glossary

care home

(noun) a building where older people live and are looked after

municipality

(noun) a town or district with its own local government

geriatric

(adjective) relating to the medical care and treatment of older people

state-subsidised

(adjective) when an organisation is regularly given money by the government

Questions

The questions below are divided into three groups - before, during and after reading the above article.

Before reading

The article is about people from Norway going to Spain. Discuss and answer these questions with a partner.

1. What are the capital cities of Norway and Spain?
2. If possible, find the Spanish town of Alicante on a map. How does the weather in Norway compare to the weather in the Alicante region?
3. Which country do you think is the more expensive - Norway or Spain?

Vocabulary from the article. Use the following adjectives to complete the definitions below.

1. If you are _____ for something, you are allowed to have it because you are the right age or have the right qualifications etc.
2. If something is _____, it has a helpful or useful effect.
3. If you feel _____, you are too cold to be comfortable.
4. If something is _____, it can gently take away a pain or an unpleasant feeling.
5. If you are _____ to do something, you have passed the necessary exams to do it.

While reading

Read the first five paragraphs of the article. Decide if these sentences are true (T) or false (F). Rewrite the false sentences with correct information.

1. The Norwegian state hopes to save money by sending elderly people to Spain.
2. The care homes are run by Norwegian private companies.
3. The staff in the care homes are mostly Spanish.
4. It is easy for elderly Norwegian -people to go and stay in Spain.
5. It is difficult to find staff to work in the care homes.
6. The cost of land is higher in Alicante than in Norway.
7. Some doctors and nurses work for lower salaries so they can work in a warmer climate.

Read the rest of the article. Choose the correct question word for these questions and then answer them.

1. _____ residences are there near the town of L'Alfas del Pi?
2. _____ is the Norwegian population of L'Alfas del Pi?
3. _____ sort of facilities does the -Reumasol residence offer?
4. _____ money does it cost to stay at the Reumasol residence for two weeks?
5. _____ has the Norwegian government opened a social security office?
6. _____ type of people visit the Fundacion Betanien every month?
7. _____ do the patients from the Fundacion Betanien go on their outings?
8. _____ does Tor Slitvold think about -going back to Norway?

After reading

Look at the words stressed in the sentences below. Choose the correct meaning.

1. Salaries, land prices and ordinary living expenses are also considerably lower in Alicante . . . (para 5)
   1. always
   2. sometimes
   3. slightly
   4. much
2. Many doctors and nurses are even willing to accept lower pay . . . (para 5)
   1. prepared to
   2. proud to
   3. delighted to
   4. reluctant to
3. The governments of chilly cities such as Oslo or Stavanger . . . (para 6)
   1. often humid
   2. quite cool
   3. very cold
   4. always snowy
4. . . . and other municipalities are scouting for building sites. (para 7)
   1. paying for
   2. searching for
   3. fighting for
   4. asking for
5. . . . with spending money to spare. (para 9)
   1. to save
   2. to give away
   3. more than you need
   4. less than you need

Choose three of the words above and write your own sentences.

References Look at the stressed words in the sentence from paragraph 1 repeated below. The pronoun (them) refers back to the first expression (elderly and infirm).

Pronouns can avoid repetition and help to link a text together. Which words or phrases do the stressed pronouns below refer back to?

1. . . . and they are eligible for six weeks to a lifetime stay . . . (para 3)
2. . . . local authorities can just build one in southern Spain . . . (para 4)
3. . . . it's a soothing balm. (para 4)
4. . . . most of them near the town of L'Alfas del Pi . . . (para 6)
5. . . . Those who come without a doctor's orders . . . (para 6)

Find pronouns in other newspaper articles and see what they refer to.

Activity - Discussion

Work in small groups with one person acting as a secretary to take notes. Discuss the questions below. Then share your ideas with the whole group.

1. What are the positive and negative aspects of elderly Norwegian people going to Spain? Think about this issue from the position of the elderly person, their family members and the wider community in Norway and Spain.
2. Where would you like to live when you are older? Explain why.