Long-time Costa del Sol expat Steve has a simple challenge for readers now summer is winding down. We spent weeks looking after visiting family and friends. Why, he asks, is it so much harder to show that same care to older people living here all year?

Most of us would say we are caring people. Pressed on how we actually show it, many of us hesitate. Holidays proved the skills are already there: patience, kindness, genuine interest and a bit of respect. Caring is not only practical help. It is noticing someone and treating them as if they still matter.

Summer proved we already know how to care

Steve’s point is blunt. Reluctance, not ability, is what holds people back. A chat on the street, a regular visit or a quick “how are you today?” can change an older neighbour’s week. Listening to the answer is the part that counts. You see the difference when the interest is real.

Older residents carry decades of experience, knowledge and stories. Take time to hear them and both sides come away better off. They are usually delighted to share that wisdom if someone bothers to ask.

Small acts that actually land

Tiny gestures often do more than grand plans. A short phone call or a few minutes of company will do more good than most people expect. NHS advice on loneliness in older people makes the same case: a friendly conversation or a regular call can be enough.

Isolation among British retirees on this coast is already well documented by Euro Weekly News. Groups such as Age Concern Fuengirola, Mijas and Benalmadena and the Soledad 0, Vida 10 volunteer work exist for a reason. Coach trips and coffee mornings help, as Age Concern’s Estepona outings have shown. None of that replaces a neighbour who knocks.

Steve has written before about retirement and purpose and staying safe on local roads. His latest message is quieter. Use the same caring we showed visitors, here on the Costa del Sol, so older people feel heard, valued, respected and not forgotten.

Marbella’s Centro Cultural Cortijo Miraflores will open his exhibition Decadas de suenos en color on September 3 at 6.30pm. Visitors can visit and contemplate the free exhibition until September 28. Pedro Manuel Molina Pena has curated a selection that follows more than four decades of work by Salvador Calvo, from nearby mountain village Istan.

Calvo first exhibited his works in Malaga and Madrid in the late 1960s. His paintings later appeared in Chicago, Wisconsin, Indiana and Oklahoma, as well as Greece, Luxembourg and Johannesburg. Works already can be seen in collections at Fundacion Unicaja, Diputación de Málaga as well as the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Vilafames.

Soft colour, firm lines

Calvo’s canvases allow colour to spread in thin veils and muted tones. Morning light, still water and organic air come to mind. Fine, exact lines then hold those fields in place. Pigment feels loose; geometry feels certain in his images. Visual restraint, command of colour and controlled shape run through the whole display.

Abstraction is the language of the works here. Atmosphere and formal clarity matter more than story. Anyone who already knows the old farmhouse-turned-centre will recognise the quiet fit: white walls, a garden of exotic plants, and rooms that once held an olive mill.

Practical details for a visit

Calle San Pedro de Alcantara, 10, is the address, in the Pilar-Miraflores area of Marbella. Opening times follow the centre’s usual weekday pattern; weekends can differ, so a quick call to 952 76 87 93 is wise. Entry is free.

Readers who caught La Kavra’s group show at the same venue earlier this year will find another reason to return. Marbella’s Museo del Grabado and Estepona’s recent Picasso and Sorolla displays sit in the same Costa del Sol circuit.

Istan still claims Calvo as a favourite son; Marbella now gets a month with his colour and geometry under one historic roof.

Uber taxi on Marbella sea front. Credit: MD Insta