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As you know the subject of today's
conference is caring for the elderly at home. Accompanying me today on the panel is Dr.
Julio fermoso, Professor of Neurology at the University of
Salamanca, former Dean
of this University and a specialist in issues we will be addressing
today. Then we will be joined by Dr. Pedro Gil Gregorio
who is Head of Geriatrics and Gerontology and therefore another great
expert in today's topic. As you all know,
a few months ago, the Cross-border Space on Ageing project
was approved, and this project included
the implementation of a Virtual Centre on Ageing which we will
present to you today. This initiative is part of the
Operational Programme for Cross-border between Spain-Portugal,
in which we work together with the Centro de Referencia Estatal
de Atención a Personas con Enfermedad de Alzheimer y otras Demencias (IMSERSO),
the Associação de Apoio e Estudo às Psicognosis in Castelo Branco,
and the Associação Humanitària de Doentes de Parkinson e Alzheimer
in the Algarve. In this project we also have the honor of
collaborating with and being supported by the
Queen Sofia Foundation. Addressing this type of project seems obvious,
when you look at sociological data.
At the beginning of the last century, the average life expectancy
was aroundto years. And only a century later
that number has doubled. Spanish and Portuguese people
now have a life expectancy of more than years.
The problem now is what to do with this growing life expectancy
and how do we ensure that this longer life is one of quality.
That is what we aim to address,
foster, and identify solutions, in this project and with this platform.
By means of different specialists expanding their knowledge about the
ageing phenomenon, such as traditional professions like
doctors and nurses, who work very hard,
but as you know, science sometimes advances slowly
and society and the people affected, can't wait for definitive results to be achieved
through research. Therefore, we must support these professionals
by joining forces with other professions to help identify different
care models for all those people who are affected by
age-related diseases. One aspect
that often goes unnoticed but I believe is fundamental, is
how we support caregivers. We often forget
about the difficult situation they are going through.
The Virtual Center on Ageing seeks to develop professionals who are specialised in ageing
and quality of life, research
and psychosocial care, as well as implementing innovative practice,
drawn from cooperation and knowledge exchange initiatives.
To this end, this project offers online and offline services
dedicated to adding quality of life to our longer lives while
generating specialised employment opportunities.
Also within the framework of the Virtual Centre on Ageing and
in collaboration with the Queen Sofia Foundation, it is our aim to continue the social awareness
campaign that was launched to promote greater research
in Alzheimer's disease Banco of Memories,
which I'm sure you will all have heard of. It was launched by Her Majesty Queen Sofia
and supported by the main Spanish media groups. Anyone can
donate or sponsor a memory in this bank. Today it safeguards the memories of
those who donated anonymously, people in the early stages of the disease
and other well-known personalities. It is true that in order to achieve these
objectives, a strong solidarity movement is needed, and
this is important, without everyone's support,
this will not succeed. A movement that fosters the identification
of new care models and promotes initiatives that encourage greater
social integration of the elderly,
particularly those affected by an age-related disease.
The ultimate goal is to change the current and widely accepted perception,
that this is merely a problem for the individual or family affected,
to be considered a key issue facing society as a whole.
Our project not only aims to contribute to the training and specialisation of
qualified professionals
and provide scientific, technical and cultural guidance
to society, but also to contribute to improving the quality
of life in our communities. If we succeed,
it will give us great pride to be able to say that this centre has contributed to improving
social welfare. Thank you very much.