According to Irati Mogollon García, who intervenes in the Casa Mayor with a project on the architectures of care, through the newspaper El Correo they have learned that all the services of the Casa Mayor will be launched this Friday by the City Council. Faced with this, the elderly people who have been fighting for the maintenance of the space since they were proposed to move to the new Cultural Center three years ago have decided to close it there. They've been in lockdown since Wednesday, and last night the local police have identified them. On Thursday at 19:00, a meeting is called in the Casa Mayor itself.

The Main House space, which has been inhabited by different generations, was now naturally adopted as a gathering place for more than 30 years. Since then, there have been countless activities: music sessions, conferences, workshops, physical exercise and meals, among others. There are currently 6,200 registered seniors, 3,000 registered as participants in the activities carried out, and about 200 people in the daily life.

Located in the district of Rome, it is not only one of the few historical buildings that has withstood the wave of speculation, but it is also the only space that offers services for the elderly. The City Council wants to move them to a new Cultural Center, but the users of the Casa Mayor are clear that this change does not suit their needs.

The wishes of the City Council and the needs of the elderly, in contrast

600,000 euros, this was the amount foreseen for the construction works of the five-story building that the City of Getxo has raised to be a Cultural Center. Once the works have been completed, this amount has been increased to 2,000,000 euros. With all the actions and individuals related to culture, the City Council wants to transfer to it the users of the Casa Mayor. Half of the third floor, this is the space offered to them in the new building.

The users of Casa Mayor do not agree with the wishes of the City Council, which does not adapt to their needs: it is institutionalized, it is not easy to reach, they are forced to take the elevator and it does not have a patio, among other things. The art of the partners has been questioned about the transfer with the resources they had and 570 people have responded. According to the results, 85% do not want to move from Casa Mayor. However, the City Council formed by EAJ and PSE has not recognized the questionnaire.

Pressure from the institutions

From the first moment of the proposal, the elderly have clearly indicated that they will not accept the change of place, in which they have been confirmed since then. It is alleged that the institutions have put pressure on them in the face of this firm position. On the one hand, with the threats that they will be left with nothing if they do not accept the opportunity offered to them, they indicate that the City Council has used the strategy of fear. And on the other hand, they have detected that social services use the game of spending with the idea of “when these elders will be exhausted”.

They denounce that the reality is different as long as the City Council fills its mouth with the “Getxo Lagunkoia”, with which elderly people appreciate, emphasizing that the discrimination that the City Council carries out on the basis of age, that is, age, stands out in view of how they want to silence them when the elderly are mobilized.

A model city with no place for the elderly

Chief Among the projects carried out by the users of the house, they have also been studying the impact of urban architecture on mental health. This study concludes that the memory of space has a direct effect on the memory of individuals.

They point out that the urban model in constant transformation has a great impact on the elderly, emphasizing that the feeling that they do not have a place increases as there are fewer and fewer things that link them to the past in towns and cities. They consider the defense of these places of their own to be necessary to live with dignity, and they are doing so.