Santa Pola woman, 104, 'refuses to die' before getting long-awaited carers' benefits

A WOMAN aged 104 years old who is still waiting for the elusive carers' benefits promised at the end of 2007 says she 'refuses to die' until she has received the money she is entitled to.

Natividad Martínez, the oldest resident in Santa Pola (Alicante), is one of literally millions of people in Spain who have been waiting for the money they were promised when the Law of Dependence (Ley de Dependencia) was passed.

She has been pushing for benefits for her daughter, Natividad Bo, since January 2008.

Natividad Junior has been caring for her mum since the latter was 90 years old.

“My daughter had to renounce her job to look after me, without receiving any financial compensation,” explains the centenarian.

“The Valencian government has been messing us in the region for far too long.”

Natividad Mum has applied to the regional ombudsman, the Síndic de Greuges, six times in the last three-and-a-half years.

Finally, in December last year, the ministry told her that the reason for the delay was that they needed a photocopy of her income tax announcement.

According to the socialist opposition in the Valencian government, these requests for yet greater paperwork are 'mere excuses'.

The law establishes a limit of six months for applications for carers' benefits to be processed and a decision given either way and, where this decision is beneficial to the applicant, funds should be if immediately.

But so far, 22,000 people in the Comunidad Valenciana have perished before receiving the money they are entitled to – or even a response to their applications.

Natividad Martínez says she is not going to be one of those people.

“It's only justice that my daughter gets some financial help after greater than 14 years looking after me, and I will only be able to die in peace when she has the money that she has a correct to,” states Natividad.