At 69 years old, a caregiver who prefers to remain anonymous laments her situation: "I should be retired, but I'm still fighting to survive." After more than fifteen years dedicated to caregiving, years of working without a contract and the resulting difficulties in accessing a sufficient pension have led her to a precarious state, forcing her to live in a shared room in Girona.

Recently returned to work after a medical leave for a work-related injury, the employee has expressed her desire not to continue with her current company following an unresolved labor dispute. "I don't want to stay there. I'm urgently looking for a job," she stated, highlighting the instability of the caregiving sector.

Her professional career, spanning over fifteen years caring for the elderly and dependent in homes, hospitals, and residences across Catalonia, has been marked by physical and emotional demands. "You work with your body, but also with the pain of others," she explains about the complexity of her job, often linked to palliative care.

The main obstacle to her retirement is the four years she worked without a contract, a common situation in this sector. "I had to work off the books because I needed to live. Now this condemns me," she points out. Without these years of contributions, she could only access a non-contributory pension, insufficient to cover her basic needs, leading her to live in a rented room, a situation she considers undignified for her age.

The caregiver believes her case is not exceptional and denounces the lack of institutional recognition for a profession that is essential in an aging society. "We cannot talk about a welfare state if caregivers end up like this," she affirms, while defending the human value and commitment her work requires.