She is a user of the provincial institution’s Home Help Service in the Los Morillas district of Albanchez, and has received a visit from the President of the Provincial Council, Javier A. García.
The Almería Provincial Council serves more than 6,700 people throughout the province through its Home Help Service, which is available in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. One of the users of this service is María Eugenia Bernabé, a resident of the Los Morillas district of Albanchez. She will turn 102 on August 15th and has received a tribute from the provincial institution for being an example of vitality and optimism for her age.
María Eugenia, accompanied by her two children, a granddaughter, and a great-granddaughter, received a visit at her home from the President of the Almería Provincial Council, Javier A. García; the Mayor of Albanchez, Amador López; the Vice President of the Provincial Council, Ángel Escobar; and representatives from Atende, a Clece company specializing in Social Services. They spoke with her and paid a moving tribute to her example of integrity and a life of effort and work spanning more than a century of Almería history.
The President of the Provincial Council stated that «people like María Eugenia are an example to follow for all of Almería society. We owe the opportunities and well-being of Almería we enjoy today, and the well-being our elders have built through hard work, dedication, and dedication to others, to people like her. This small tribute is a recognition of her life story, her memory, and her legacy.»
In this regard, Javier A. García cited the case of María Eugenia as an example of how the Provincial Council’s Home Help Service facilitates the lives and independence of senior citizens in Almería. He noted, «It reaches every corner of the province to care for those in need, like those in this small town. Thanks to this service, María Eugenia lives in her own home and enjoys her independence and the warmth of her family. This service was created with the aim of improving the quality of life of its users, fostering their autonomy and independence, and facilitating their continued residence in their usual home.»
Finally, the president emphasized the Provincial Council’s commitment to this service and to initiatives aimed at strengthening social services throughout the province. He noted that «we provide citizens with tools to equalize opportunities among Almería residents, regardless of where they live, and that people like María Eugenia, who lives in a small district, have access to this service under the same conditions and quality as if they lived in a large city.»
The president presented María Eugenia with a bouquet of flowers and a box of «Sabores Almería» products as a gift for the celebration of this tribute to one of the oldest people in the province. She received it with great joy and jokingly stated that she felt fine «for my age, although my hearing is bad.» Both she and her family expressed their gratitude for this touching recognition.
The Provincial Council’s Home Help Service has more than 1,540 assistants throughout the province to serve all users. The profile of this service’s users is predominantly people at risk of unwanted loneliness. Another high percentage reside in rural areas. Around 50% have Level II dependency, and 20% Level III. Approximately 11% of users have been using this service for more than ten years.
In addition, this service includes a series of care programs to make it more effective in specific situations, such as mental health interventions, legal and administrative issues, social inclusion, telemedicine, unwanted loneliness, safe housing, and cognitive stimulation. These services are provided by the 13 Social Services centers in the province of Almería.