Immigrate to Portugal focuses on life in Portugal for immigrants: According to Portuguese media reports, to celebrate International Day of Older Persons, the Director of Justice of Portugal personally answered some calls on the elderly hotline.
The elderly hotline was established in 1999 as a proposal from the Director of Justice of Portugal to celebrate International Day of Older Persons. By the end of 2014, it had answered over 44,000 calls, averaging 2,900 calls per year, with the number exceeding 3,100 in 2014. From January to May of 2015, it reached 1,284 calls. This service is completely free, operating from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM on all working days, and the hotline number is 800 203 531. Outside of working hours, an operator handles calls, and there are two additional hotlines addressing issues for children and persons with disabilities.
Last week, to celebrate International Day of Older Persons, this hotline prepared a surprise for the elderly callers, with Director of Justice Francisco da Faria Costa personally answering some of the hotline calls.
According to data from Portuguese public news websites, most of the call content relates to home care, nursing homes, and day centers. Poor care has become the second most common reason for calls, with health issues being the first. Some callers inquire about their rights, such as benefits and pensions, or call due to loneliness, needing help, or being scammed, among other reasons.
There are also some inquiries that are minor issues but become unmanageable for elderly individuals living alone and lacking self-care abilities, such as an 86-year-old in Alzira whose television broke. Some even called because they did not know how to update their identification documents.