Abstract
AbstractNorthern European international retirement migrants are often viewed as affluent and use migration as a route to a better quality of life. However, as these migrants transition into the ‘fourth age’, the onset of age-related illnesses, frailty and care needs can lead to increased levels of risk and insecurity. Through 34 qualitative interviews with older British migrants in Spain, the paper explores how these migrants access and experience care as they age. It draws on a lens of precarity that allows an understanding not only of individual care needs, but of the political, economic and social context in which they are situated, including social protections and public safety nets. The findings suggest that distant family relationships and limited access to formal social protection can both create and exacerbate precarity. These older migrants therefore develop different strategies to access care that include drawing on informal relationships and voluntary organisations within the British community in Spain. The paper contributes to understanding how international retirement migrants manage their care needs, and theoretically extends our understanding of how the intersection of old age, migration and care can create new forms of precarity.
Highlights
Northern European international retirement migrants (IRMs) are often viewed as affluent or privileged ‘lifestyle’ migrants (Benson and O’Reilly, 2009; Huete et al, 2013) who use migration as a route to a better quality of life
Interviewees were not selected on the basis of precarity, i.e. it was not known before the interview if interviewees were in ‘precarious situations’ (Fine, 2020), rather, the interviews were used to understand the extent to which IRMs in Spain faced, or were likely to face, precarity in relation to their care needs
The first section focuses on care policy and formal social protection for IRMs, the second on personal financial security, focusing on the care market in Spain, and the third on informal social relationships and networks in Spain, including the role of the voluntary sector
Summary
Northern European international retirement migrants (IRMs) are often viewed as affluent or privileged ‘lifestyle’ migrants (Benson and O’Reilly, 2009; Huete et al, 2013) who use migration as a route to a better quality of life. Spain remains the most popular retirement destination for British nationals and the Spanish ‘Costas’ are home to large communities of older British people who are attracted by a better climate, a plethora of social activities and lower living costs (O’Reilly, 2000; Oliver, 2008). Funded care in Spain is limited and for British migrants, language and cultural barriers can further restrict access to Spanish social services and other local support (Gavanas and Calzada, 2016; Hall and Hardill, 2016; Calzada, 2017). This paper draws on a lens of precarity to understand how older British migrants access care and old-age support in Spain and to identify any care gaps that they face
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