Latest news and stories about elderly care in Portugal for expats and residents.
A court in Matosinhos has handed a three-year and six-month suspended prison sentence to a care home owner in Maia for the mistreatment of two elderly residents. The defendant is also required to pay 2,000 euros in compensation to each victim and is prohibited from working in the care sector.
A study on home care support services recommends a new model, increased regulation, differentiated funding, training, and career development.
The family claims to be in constant contact with the City Council to provide transport for the elderly to the day centre and for rehabilitation, without having received a response yet.
A GNR operation in Óbidos led to the arrest of two suspects and the removal of elderly people at risk, as part of an investigation into mistreatment.
Coimbra records a decrease in the number of homeless people, while cases of elderly people living alone or being mistreated are soaring.
Maria's son and daughter-in-law were sentenced to 22 and 20 years in prison. The elderly woman died at 98 years old.
Today, being elderly in Portugal, especially without full autonomy, is far from an easy task.
At the 'Jardim das Borboletas' care home in Famões, there is an activity that has been promoting creativity and happiness among the residents.
The president of the Union of Misericórdias guarantees an increase in beds for social admissions in May. Manuel de Lemos says that the network of care homes in Portugal is deficient and that the public network would take 20 years to catch up.
Geriatrician Sofia Duque explains the importance of Covid-19 vaccination for the senior population, the impact of age on the risk of severe disease, and how to ensure better protection at this stage of life.
A mother, her two children, and a lawyer forged a power of attorney to seize the savings and sell the property of the 84-year-old victim, who was institutionalised in a care home in the municipality of Évora.
The elderly in the Santa Casa da Misericórdia care homes in Bragança are at risk. This statement comes from the Health Authority itself, which guarantees it found non-compliance with basic sanitary standards.
A report by Campeão das Províncias highlights the shortage of care beds for the elderly in Portugal, noting a ratio of only four beds per 100 seniors.
A report from SIC Notícias highlights the rising costs and limited availability in Portuguese nursing homes, ranking the country third in the EU for the lowest number of beds per user.
Portugal is the fastest-ageing country in Europe and there is a shortage of places in care homes, with waiting lists that can reach up to three years. On Expresso da Manhã, Paulo Baldaia speaks with Society editor Rita Ferreira.
Home Health Living Well at Home: The Growing Value of Live-In Care in Portugal Living Well at Home: The Growing Value of Live-In Care in Portugal As Portugal continues to attract expats from around the world, many are choosing not only to build their lives here, but also to grow older here.
In the four municipalities, 3,900 users have been identified, distributed across 68 establishments.
The woman must pay two thousand euros to each of the victims and is prohibited from working at the care home or performing this type of work with the elderly.
The owner of a care home in Maia was sentenced today to three years and six months in prison, suspended, for the mistreatment of two frail elderly women between 2023 and 2024.
The woman must also pay two thousand euros to each of the victims and is prohibited from working at the care home or performing this type of work with the elderly.
In total, 94% of doctors acknowledge their responsibility in detecting violence against the elderly, but two-thirds had not suspected any cases in the 12 months prior to the study.
Less than one-fifth (19.1%) of the elderly population in Portugal considered their health status to be good or very good in 2024, compared to 40% across the European Union (EU), Eurostat reported this Tuesday (April 7). According to information released by the EU's statistical office, about 40% of people aged 65 or over in the community space considered their health to be very good or good two years ago. Among EU countries, only 12.5% of the elderly population in Lithuania considered their health very good or good, as well as 13.1% in Latvia and 19.1% in Portugal, with the latter being the third lowest percentage in the community. Among the population aged 65 and over, Ireland recorded the highest percentage of people who rated their health as very good or good (62%), followed by Belgium (57.4%) and Luxembourg (56.8%). Across the total population in 2024, more than two-thirds of the EU (68.5%) considered their health status to be very good or good, while 8.5% rated it as bad or very bad and the remaining 23.0% classified it as fair. Eurostat notes that, up to age 65, the majority of people classified their health as very good or good. The percentage was 91.3% among young people aged 16 to 24, gradually decreasing to 61.1% among people aged 55 to 64, the community statistical office concludes. The data was published by Eurostat in the context of World Health Day, which is marked today. In Portugal, 40% of the population over 16 suffered from anxiety in 2025.
About 40% of people aged 65 or over in the European Union considered their health to be very good or good two years ago.
Less than one-fifth (19.1%) of the elderly population in Portugal considered their health status to be good or very good in 2024, compared to 40% in the European Union (EU) as a whole, Eurostat reported today.
In the growing list of contradictions, broken promises, and untruths uttered by Carlos Moedas, one stands out as a true testament to shameless audacity. In 2022, he announced the 65+ Health Plan, which was supposed to bring healthcare to the homes of Lisbon residents, but it has since been revealed as a poorly managed service that failed to function due to basic administrative incompetence. The project, which was heavily advertised, ultimately amounted to little more than a teleconsultation service that was suspended because contracts were not renewed. This episode highlights a pattern of political marketing taking precedence over substance, where the promised health plan has become a phantom—much like a 'gambozino' (a mythical creature used to send people on a wild goose chase), heavily advertised but impossible to find when needed.
Following a report, the GNR went to the couple's residence and found the elderly individuals locked inside a room in very poor hygienic and sanitary conditions. They were taken to the hospital.
The elderly individuals were locked inside a room, living in very precarious conditions of hygiene and sanitation.
The elderly man was caught by a staff member at the institution and, when confronted, asked to leave the home. The family accuses the institution of 'giving an ultimatum to a fragile person'.
The elderly man was caught by a staff member at the institution and, when confronted, asked to leave the home. The family accuses the institution of 'giving an ultimatum to a fragile person'.
