Mijas today presented the campaign "Friendly and supportive environments facing dementias". This is an initiative that CEAFA (Spanish Alzheimer's Confederation) launched a few months ago at the national level and that, recently, the Mijas associations of relatives of Alzheimer's patients proposed to the Town Hall to carry out in our municipality. The main objective is, through the shops and establishments of the town, to contribute to the normalisation, perception, consideration and complicity with people suffering Alzheimer's and other dementias.

"We are going to raise awareness among business owners so that these people can continue with their day to day lives and, above all, feel well cared for", explained the councillor for Commerce, Natalia Martínez (PSOE), who stressed the Importance of acting fast, "looking for a relative of that person, as normally they carry the identification of the person they can go to and if they cannot be located, calling 112". "It is very important to know how to act with these people, offering them that kindness and empathy they need", said the councillor. There are different symptoms and keys that can sound the alarm to detect some type of mental illness, and the role of people who intervene in their daily activities, such as when they are shopping, is essential to offer them security and well-being, since according to the councillor for Social Services, Hipólito Zapico (PSOE), “the fact that a person has Alzheimer's, senile dementia or any other circumstance, should not influence their relationship with others, making it more limited. We should have a certain empathy with them".

This work would not be possible without the effort of groups, such as the Association of Relatives of Alzheimer's Patients in Mijas (AFAM). “One of our fundamental pillars, in addition to caring for the sick and their family, is to promote and raise awareness among the general population about diseases, explain how to act and that there are resources, in addition to ensuring that these people receive adequate treatment”, affirmed the director of the AFAM day centre, Mari Carmen López.

Standardisation

For her part, the president of AFA Fuengirola-Mijas Costa, Paqui Lebrón, said that “to create friendly and supportive environments, associations have to do one important job: inform. This serves to normalise, as far as possible, the lives of people who suffer dementia, especially people who are just starting with the disease, as we are taking care of more and more young people”. During the next few days, the Local Council and the associations will distribute posters that explain the situations that may occur. These will be found on public transport, health centres and hospitals, among others, including the businesses owners that may find themselves in this type of situation, so that they know how to act. The campaign will also be promoted through audio-visual material on the municipal media.

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