Abstract

CLIMAGECARE investigates care for older people in rural communities along the Spain–Portugal border, within the context of the climate crisis. These regions share environmental and social challenges, such as depopulation and the lack of public care policies, which contribute to a growing care crisis. Climate change intensifies these issues, with rising forest fires and extreme temperatures disproportionately affecting ageing populations. The project adopts a critical and interdisciplinary approach to understand how care is organised and experienced in these communities. It examines the connections between the primary healthcare system, families, and community networks during climate-related events, and explores the everyday experiences of care and self-care among older people, including their relationships with local care actors and the non-human environment. The research will be conducted using qualitative methods and co-creation processes in two villages along the central Iberian border, drawing on care studies, environmental studies, and medical anthropology.

Team