Portal de Cartagena
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| The association serves and supports some 200 users and their families in Cartagena and the region, where there are 5,000 cases of Alzheimer's detected, this Monday, September 21, World Day of this disease | World Alzheimer's Day is commemorated this Monday, September 21 and, as every year, on this day the associations concentrate their efforts on raising awareness in society about this disease.
From the Cartagena City Council, the Deputy Mayor Noelia Arroyo and the Councilor for Social Services, Mercedes García, have recognized the great work of associations such as AFAL Cartagena and Comarca during their career, with the service of support and advice to both patients with neurodegenerative diseases and to their relatives. AFAL has about 200 users to whom it provides its different services in Cartagena and the Region, where according to data from Area 2 of the Murcian Health Service there are 5,000 cases of Alzheimer's detected.
The deputy mayor, Noelia Arroyo, has assured that "the survival of social entities and professionals who work against such hard diseases as Alzheimer's is essential.
Therefore, from the Department of Social Services what we have tried with our professionals is to help them , accompany them and be aware of their needs so that they are maintained during the crisis.
We must take into account the work they have done, as well as the effort and sacrifice that it has entailed during the Santiago crisis ". The Santiago crisis as a consequence of COVID19 has generated greater needs among patients, because as explained by Raúl Nieto, physiotherapist and manager of AFAL, "we do not want to feel vulnerable and, nevertheless, the pandemic generates that the body has needs and the person does not That is why we must make an appeal to the public to warn that if someone needs help, they should ask for it before it is too late, because perhaps the help they need later will be greater.
"This year the association is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
"We have had a complicated journey in the sense that, initially, the association was founded in the neurologist's waiting room, where family members who needed support were, and they came together to help each other.
Currently AFAL has more than 11 staff workers.
In this way, physiotherapy and home help services, individual and group stimulation, speech therapy, physiotherapy, among others are provided.
Likewise, these services are supported by a large number of volunteers and other awareness and dissemination services ", Raúl Nieto has commented.From the association they insist that if any symptom, sign or signal is detected, as well as frequent forgetfulness and memory loss, go to the doctor and ask for help.
The neuropsychologist and coordinator of AFAL, Sonia Gayoso warns that "it is necessary to make known that they are diseases that can be worked on and slowed down to improve the quality of life.
As the therapies are implemented, the user can spend many years with great autonomy personal and die for any other reason.
" TABOO DISEASESWorld Alzheimer's Day aims to give greater visibility to the disease.
"It is important to raise awareness, disseminate and show society these types of diseases that are still taboo and that were believed to be characteristics of older people, but it is not the reality, it can affect young and active people, or older people who are well but he suffers from behavioral disorders of attention, sleep or personality changes and memory is the least reflected in it, Sonia Gayoso has pointed out, who has also remarked that "there are families who are still afraid that the reflection of their relative is that"Noelia Arroyo agrees by stating that "it is a disease that not only affects older people, but we are seeing more and more cases in young people, therefore from the Department of Social Services we have the obligation to meet AFAL's social and health obligations and ensure that have the necessary facilities and aids ".SUPPORT FOR FAMILY MEMBERSThe Association for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative dementias, as a specialized center, also offers help to the user's relatives.
"The patient suffers from it and is the one who needs help first, but if this help is not extrapolated to the family, the situation does not improve, because the user also needs support outside the center.
Therefore, the relatives, in addition to giving them a few hours of respite that the user is in therapy, are supported psychologically, with training courses and with meetings between the different families so that they see that they live the same situations and they are not the only ones who are going through this complex situation, "explained Sonia Gayoso.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
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