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World’s oldest person dies in Spain at 117

The world's oldest living person, Spain's Maria Branyas Morera, who was born in the United States and lived through two world wars, has died at the age of 117, her family said Tuesday.

Published: 20 August 2024 12:16 CEST

World's oldest person dies in Spain at 117

Catalan supercentenarian María Branyas Morera blows the candles on her birthday cake on her 117th anniversary on March 4th 2024. Photo: Wikipedia/CC0

“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” her family wrote on her account on social network X.

“We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness,” they said.

La Maria Branyas ens ha deixat. Ha mort com ella volia: mentre dormia, tranquil·la i sense dolor.
Fa uns dies ens deia:
“Un dia me n'aniré d'aquí. No tornaré a provar cafè, ni a menjar iogurt, ni a acaronar a la Fada…, deixaré també els meus records, les meves reflexions… 👇

— Super Àvia Catalana (@MariaBranyas112) August 20, 2024

Branyas, who had lived for the last two decades in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the town of Olot in northeastern Spain, had warned in a post on Tuesday that she felt “weak”.

“The time is near. Don’t cry, I don’t like tears. And above all, don’t suffer for me. Wherever I go, I will be happy,” she added in the account which is run by her family.

Guinness World Records had officially acknowledged Branyas’s status as the world’s oldest person in January 2023 following the death of French nun Lucile Randon aged 118.

In the wake of Branyas’s death, the oldest living person in the world is Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23th 1908 and is 116 years old, according to the US Gerontology Research Group.

READ ALSO: Why do people in Madrid live longer than anywhere else in the EU?

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EXPLAINED: How to hire a carer in Spain to help at home

According to the Spanish Government, around 10 percent of the Spanish population needs daily care and support. The majority of these people are cared for at home, mainly by women in the family environment.

But it’s not always possible to care for someone yourself, making it necessary to hire someone. This can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. Where do you start? How do you go about it legally and is there any financial aid available?

Contracts and legalities

When you hire someone, it’s important to remember that you will be their employer, so you have to make sure everything is above board both with their experience and qualifications and legal contracts.

Carers must be hired under Spain’s Domestic Employee Regime and the General Social Security Regime. As an employer, you will be in charge or paying a proportion of their social security contributions.

READ ALSO: The new rules for hiring a domestic worker in Spain

It’s important to formalise a contract and set out exactly what you expect of the carer, how many hours they will work per week, the pay rate and how much time off they can have. You can also specify if you want them to work for a trial period initially.

Caregivers must be paid the equivalent or higher than minimum wage (SMI). Legally, it cannot be lower, even if there is some type of remuneration involved such as accommodation and meals provided.

Failure to do things legally, have proper contracts and pay social security on their behalf, can incur huge fines. The penalties can range anywhere €10,000 to €25,000. Recently, Spain’s Ministry of Labour has also been carrying checks in order to fine families with full-time caregivers who pay less than minimum wage.

Financial aid for hiring a caregiver

There are various types of financial aid you may be able to benefit from in order to help you out with hiring a carer. There is aid offered at both a state and region level.

Whether or not you will receive financial aid and how much will depend on the beneficiary’s level of dependency. According to Article 26 of the Dependency Law there are three different levels of dependency.

Grade I: Moderate dependency, where personal autonomy is limited and specific assistance is needed for some daily activities.

Grade II: Severe dependency, where constant assistance is not needed, but it is at various times throughout the day.

Grade III: Great dependency, where constant assistance is required to carry out basic activities.

For non-dependent seniors, aid will be based on age and income level.

Regional aid

The amount you will receive, depends on where you live and the degree of dependency. Each region has slightly different ways of applying and assessing what you need. Read more on the specifics for Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia.

The national average is:

Between €180 and €455 per month for non-professional caregivers.

Between €313 and €747 per month to pay for care homes or residences.

Between €450 and €570 per month for the home help services.

You must apply for this through your local municipality.

Other home support services can include telecare services, home cleaning and maintenance, home delivery meal service and functional home adaptations.

State aid

At a state level there are pensions (if you qualify in Spain), subsidies for beneficiaries of centres for dependent people, as well as services and economic benefits.

Last June, the Spanish cabinet approved the state strategy for a new model of care for elderly people and people with disabilities who are dependent, as well as for homeless people and migrant minors.

The objective is to promote care at home and in community settings instead of the care home model.

This plan had an initial financial allocation of more than €1.3 billion, financed with European funds. This is part of Spain’s Dependency Law, which has been running into several issues due to huge waiting lists and long delays waiting for help and aid.

If you need care urgently, it may be worth looking into one getting one privately instead.

READ ALSO: Can I move into a care home in Spain as a foreigner?

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