Recently CEOMA has been awarded with the I Prize the International Prince of Viana de Atención to the Dependancy by their program To untie to the old one and to the patient of Alzheimer, that supposes a reason for pride for the president of the organization, Jose Luis Méler, “because it is the best form to celebrate the anniversary of our Confederation�. In this interview, Méler makes a review of these ten years of trajectory and shares with the readers of Smybodyindex.com how the majors are managing to occupy the place that corresponds to them in the society.
 
How it has been the evolution of the majors in these ten years?
Throughout this time, the majors have changed much. On the one hand, they have been able to assume his potential and capacity to participate in the society and to continue like active members of the same. On the other, also the society has evolved and now it perceives to the majors of one more a more positive form. The combination of both realities augurs a great full future of expectations and projects.
 
How they were the CEOMA beginnings?
CEOMA was born the 1 from December of 1999, with the aim of integrating the weak one and fragmented world of the associationism of the people majors that, at that time, had a low level of representation and little visibility.
 
At the present time, like organization of reference in the sector of the majors, CEOMA investigates, analyzes and tries to give to answer to the needs of this group, developing programs that help the majors to live their maturity with dignity and to facilitate their participation in the society, avoiding any type of discrimination.
 
In order to carry out this work, CEOMA maintains permanent contact with the different administrations, public and deprived organizations, political groups and institutions of majors. This way, it takes the pulse to the present situation from the majors in Spain, contributing his analysis and experience to the groups with capacity of political and economic decision.
 
Have been fulfilled the objectives?
CEOMA is an organization with much representativeness, that is growing every day more, as much qualitative as quantitatively.
 
Although it is certain that very we are satisfied with the work carried out, lamentably our objectives are still not fulfilled all, since there are majors with very low pensions that are in the threshold of the poverty. Also, many majors undergo discrimination because of age and others I mistreat.

Which considers that it has been the most important profit?
It could enumerate several. In 2003, we dedicated I SAW edition of our national congress the dependancy, when to the present Law still it had left much way that to cross to see the light. We have been the advance party of this Law, since some of their expositions agree with our proposals. 

Also, we are very proud of to be awarded with the I Prize the International Prince of Viana de Atención to the Dependancy by our program To untie the Old one and to the Patient of Alzheimer, that allows to transfer to the society an hidden reality, like is the one of the physical subjections and chemical, that affect to thousands of majors in our country and that constitutes a form of I mistreat very serious.
 
What other projects must in march to improve the quality of life of the people majors?
The majors are our reason of being. For this reason, every day we looked for to develop to projects and activities that result in their benefit. Some of our more outstanding projects are the campaign of sensitization against the Degeneration To spot Associate to Edad (DMAE); the formation in new technologies or the fight against the labor discrimination, through Project the work beyond the 50. Also the national congresses are important, a participation space that has become reference within the sector of the majors.
 
At present, how it evaluates the application of the Law of Dependancy?
The promulgation of the Law is a great social profit. Nevertheless, at this moment, we are pessimistic as far as its application and evolution. We questioned ourselves if the call fourth pillar of the State of the Well-being also is going to pay for the crisis, since the Executive will suppress the retroactivity in the payment of the benefits from his request.
 
Another question of importance for the group of majors is the pensions. Earlier this year, CEOMA appeared before the Commission of the Pact of Toledo, which are their demands?
CEOMA pleads for a flexible and voluntary retirement. We do not defend that the age is delayed, but the obligatory retirement is eliminated. We do not think that a limit of age for the work must settle down, in a regime of individual liberties and fundamental rights. The obligatory retirement supposes one serious discrimination because of age. For this reason, our recommendation is to suppress, definitively, the obligatory nature of retiring to the 65 or 67 years. That age only must be to begin with voluntary point in which the worker, if he wishes therefore it, can retire.
 
What measures would have to promote the Public Administrations to foment the active and healthful aging?
More can always be done and, although from the Public Administrations a concerted effort is being made maintain the activities for the majors, we think that the next step is to develop the proposals in collaboration with the beneficiaries, that is to say, with the own majors.
 
How they confront the future and which are their main challenges?
The most important challenge is than CEOMA, of the hand of the associations compose that it, contributes to one more a more sensible society towards the reality of the people majors, with the aim of improving their quality of life.