Imserso: Assisting Older Adults and People with Disabilities to Live Their Best Lives

The Institute of Older Adults and Social Services (Imserso, Spanish acronym) (in Spanish) was founded in 1978 to assist older adults and people with disabilities (video in Spanish) to live as independently as possible through research, information and referral, and rehabilitation services and is part of Spain’s Ministry of Health, Consumption, and Social Welfare. Imserso offers information and referral services for older adults (in Spanish) on a variety of topics that include active aging, statistics, and personal autonomy. Imserso also runs the Autonomy and Attention to Dependence System (SAAD, acronym in Spanish) (in Spanish), which provides information on financial aid for caregivers, statistical information, and related topics. SAAD is the accrediting body for care centers, services, and related entities in Ceuta and Melilla, Spain. Imserso also runs and supports various centers (in Spanish) that include information and referral centers, rehabilitation center for people with physical disabilities and other disabilities, centers for older adults, and a center to assist people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. The Institute also assists older adults with their retirement (in Spanish) and has a travel program (in Spanish) to help older adults and people with disabilities with their travel plans. Imserso’s electronic network (in Spanish) provides information on tourism, dependence and disability, grants, its centers, and more. Individuals may personalize the network portal to their needs. The Institute also provides the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 and social services, and employment, along with the latest publications from the federal government and others on topics related to older adults and people with disabilities in Spain. Finally, Imserso’s library provides information and referral services (in Spanish) to older adults, people with disabilities, and their families through their helpline and online.