Outsourcing the Elderly

Norway is looking for ways to save money on caring for the country's elderly and one way it's found is to send the oldsters to sunny, balmy Spain.

Elderly Norwegians can wind up languishing in the Costa Blanca for from six weeks to forever. All that's needed is a doctor's note. Bizarre as this sounds this benefit works out very well for Norway. From The Guardian:

"In a new twist on care for the elderly, thousands of Norwegians are relaxing in the Spanish sun and taking health cures at a growing number of geriatric and rehabilitation centres run by Norwegian municipalities and staffed almost entirely by Norwegians in the Alicante region.

"'Instead of building a new treatment centre in Oslo, local authorities can just build one in southern Spain,' said Lotte Tollefsen, a spokeswoman at the Norwegian embassy in Madrid. 'It is easy to find qualified medical personnel and the climate is very beneficial to the patients. Compared to the Norwegian winters, it's a soothing balm.'

"Salaries, land prices and ordinary living expenses are also considerably lower in Alicante than in Norway, one of the most expensive countries in the world. Many doctors and nurses are even willing to accept lower pay in exchange for the chance to work for a year or two in sunny Spain."