Alzheimer Portugal and the Municipality of Portimão signed a protocol for the transfer of facilities for the headquarters of the association's Algarve nucleus, with the delivery of the respective keys taking place this Wednesday, 29 July.
With the start of activities scheduled for next September, world month of Alzheimer's Disease, the center will have a regional scope and will have a support office in dementia, aiming to provide information, referral for local responses and technical support to people with dementia and to all those who, directly or indirectly, live with them, namely caregivers, family and friends, as well as professionals who provide care and who reside in the Algarve.
The service will be in person at the nucleus' facilities, located in Urbanização do Pimentão, basement of lot 2, in the Três Bicos area, working on weekdays, from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, or through a telephone line provided for that purpose.
The center is also available to institutions based in the region to train their professionals in the area of dementia and promote an integrated intervention, also aiming to raise awareness of the Algarve population for this problem.
For Manuela Morais, president of the association's board, “this is a very important moment for Alzheimer Portugal, since since its creation it has had as its vision a society that truly integrates people with dementia. The possibility of creating a nucleus in the Algarve region makes us very proud, and we should emphasize that the support of the Portimão Chamber was and is fundamental for us to be able to expand our intervention in the south of the country.”
In turn, the president of the host municipality, Isilda Gomes, underlines “the relevance of this partnership, which represents a concerted and so far non-existent response in the Algarve, in favor of patients and families of people with dementia, reinforcing the intervention of the social network in the construction of an inclusive and participatory municipality.”
It is estimated that in Portugal there are around 200 people with dementia and it is predicted that this number may increase significantly in the coming years, with age being the main risk factor and Portugal is one of the oldest countries in the world .
If family caregivers and professionals involved in providing care to these people are also taken into account, the problem takes on an even greater dimension, with relevant social and economic impacts.
Alzheimer Portugal is a national private social solidarity institution, created 31 years ago to promote the quality of life of people with this disease and other forms of dementia, as well as their families and caregivers.
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