Carlos San Juan, the retiree who planted the bench for a more human treatment to the elderly
ELMA SAIZ: “Face young and old is an unfair and perverse battle”
The Platform of Seniors and Pensioners (PMP) has celebrated the second edition of its PMP-International PMP Awards for the elderlywith those who recognize the social work of different people and entities regarding the elderly and have awarded, among others, Carlos San Juanpromoter of the awareness campaign I’m older, not idiotwhich “had and still has the objective of combating financial exclusion, which is part of age, an indisputably form of violence and social injustice“, as stressed in a video message, since he could not attend the event.
The act has been held within the commemoration of the International Day of the Elderlywhich took place officially this Wednesday, October 1. The delivery ceremony was held on Monday, September 29 at the Assembly Hall of the Imserso headquarters in Madrid.
The retired doctor has been awarded in the category Fight against age for his campaign to collect signatures at Change.org, with which demanded a humanized and personalized treatment of banking.
This campaign took him out of anonymity and put him in the media focus for his fight for the elderly to suffer in front of an ATM, while in the bank offices their attention was denied. A few months after the launch of his campaign, he got a good practices code which included concrete measures to improve attention to older people. Also promoted the figure of the Financial Client Ombudsmanalthough it is not working yet.
This Valencian He has achieved something that seemed impossible, and has been recognized for it. The European Parliament declared him a citizen of the year, he was also appointed adopted son of the city of Valencia, and has now been awarded the PMP Awards.
Carlos San Juan after collecting more than 600,000 supports with his campaign ‘I am old, not idiot’, upon his arrival with a box where the signatures are located to register them in the Ministry of Economy and in the Bank of Spain in 2022. Photo: Alberto Ortega (Europa Press).
“It is a prize that will be very distributed, because I want to dedicate it to the thousands of solidarity people who signed the petitionalready practically all the media that had empathy and gave visibility to the campaign, which he had and still has the objective of combat financial exclusionwhich is evidently part of The digital gapand what together They are part of age, an indisputable form of violence and social injustice That we all recognize today and that it is a cause of social exclusion, unwanted loneliness, and even poverty, “he said in a video.
Wait, thus, that this award “Give visibility and strength to the campaign so that we all get eradicate this evil that it seems to extend more and more, with its consequences of all known. ”
Ángel Rodríguez Castedoformer president and founder of the PMP, has collected the prize in his name, from the current president of the PMP, who has assured that the campaign of San Juan and its motto “They will be in the unconscious or in the collective conscious of society for a long time“, since” they are also words and actions capable of transferring enthusiasm, illusion and conviction to the elderly. “
Other winners
The psychologist, writer and academic have also been awarded, Anna Freixasin the category Action for the benefit of older women; Spanish Red Cross, in the institutional category; and Servimediain the category Media and Social Image.
Ramón Jané Pallas, State Director of Social Inclusion, and Daniel Fernández Gómez, Vice -Coordinator General of the Red Cross; Anna Freixas; and José Manuel González Huesa, general director of Servimedia. Photo: PMP.
The act has had the journalist Ángeles Caballero Martín as a ceremonies teacher, as well as other personalities, such as the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz Delgado; The president of the PMP, Jesús Norberto Fernández; the prosecutor for the protection of people with disabilities and major of the State Attorney General’s Office, María José Segarra; The president of the eleven, Miguel Carballeda; The general director of Imserso, María Teresa Sancho Castiello.
In this way, it has been wanted give visibility and prominence to initiatives and actions focused on improving the quality of life and well -being of the elderly, as in the last edition.
