Cieza City Council commemorated World Alzheimer's Day this Monday morning with an institutional event attended by the municipal council, chaired by Mayor Tomás Rubio, along with users, technical staff, and representatives of the Cieza Association of Relatives of People with Alzheimer's Disease or Other Dementias (ACIFAD), including its president, Filomena Villa, who emphasized the importance of "uniting to make the invisible visible, breaking down barriers, and continuing to move toward a future with greater dignity and rights for all."
Durante la lectura del manifiesto elaborado por la Confederación Española de Alzheimer bajo el lema ‘Igualando Derechos’ se ha puesto el acento en la necesidad de defender la dignidad de las personas afectadas y garantizar que no se vean privados de derechos básicos conforme avanza la enfermedad. «Tenemos derecho a hablar y expresar cuáles son nuestras necesidades concretas y reales», señalando el texto que los enfermos están encuadrados en categorías genéricas como discapacidad o personas mayores, sin dar respuesta a sus necesidades específicas.
Specific attention
The document also emphasizes various rights, such as the right to be heard and understood, with specific attention to Alzheimer's distinct from other conditions; to an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and the incorporation of new drugs approved in Europe after more than twenty years without therapeutic innovations; to receive regulated and tailored social care that recognizes the role of the caregiver with its own status and considers the inclusion of this group in state care strategies, among other demands.
The mayor closed the event by thanking the president of ACIFAD for her words of remembrance for the recently deceased Councilor for Social Services, Disability, and the Elderly, Amparo Pino. Rubio also highlighted the commitment of the Cieza City Council, represented at this event by the entire municipal council, to the affected individuals and to the work carried out by this association of family members, founded in 2001, encouraging them to maintain solidarity and commitment to those who care for them.
File photo.