Alejandro Marichal: “Our goal is to strengthen comprehensive care for people with Alzheimer's and support those who care for them.”
Dimas Sarmiento: “The rehabilitation of the Aldea Blanca Center is a necessary step to continue improving the municipal care network.”
The First Deputy Mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Alejandro Marichal, and the Councillor for Social Services and the Elderly, Dimas Sarmiento, held a working meeting with representatives of the ALMA'S Association of Relatives of Alzheimer's Patients of Maspalomas to analyze the current situation of municipal resources and advance in solutions that allow increasing care for people diagnosed with this disease.
During the meeting, the association conveyed the families' concerns about the lack of available places at both the Alzheimer's center and the municipal day center, as well as the existence of a waiting list that has persisted for years. ALMA'S reiterated that they have been requesting an expansion of care resources for over two decades, without it having been possible to meet the existing demand.
In this context, the Department of Social Services presented the rehabilitation project for the Aldea Blanca Center, an action that will have an estimated municipal investment of 400.000 euros and that will allow an increase of about twenty places available for the care of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias, thus strengthening the public care network in the municipality.
The Councillor for Social Services and Senior Citizens, Dimas Sarmiento, emphasized that the meeting “was fundamental for listening directly to the families and sharing with them, with complete transparency, the technical and administrative work that is being carried out.” In this regard, he stressed that “when we talk about Alzheimer's and dependency, we are talking about people and families who need real support, and our responsibility is to move forward in providing dignified and professional resources.”
Sarmiento also explained that the opening of the Aldea Blanca Center will provide a suitable alternative resource, making it possible to later address the project to renovate and improve the current Alzheimer's Center in San Fernando, guaranteeing at all times the continuity of care for users.
For his part, First Deputy Mayor Alejandro Marichal pointed out that this initiative is part of a broader plan for senior care, which includes active aging programs with adapted workshops, cognitive stimulation, and group work with specialized professionals. “We are working to expand our capacity to provide care and improve the quality of services, keeping in mind both the users and their families,” he stated.
Both municipal officials agreed to highlight the positive attitude and collaborative environment with the ALMA'S Association, as well as the government group's commitment to continue working hand in hand with social entities to advance the expansion of places and the progressive development of new socio-health resources in San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
The meeting also made it possible to identify the tasks that still need to be developed from a technical and administrative perspective to consolidate this process, with the aim of strengthening care for people with Alzheimer's and moving towards a broader municipal network of resources adapted to the demographic reality of the municipality.
