What is there in Mijas and what resources does the municipality have that can generate and improve the health of the general population. This could be, in short, the objective of the project 'Activating the health of people with Alzheimer's disease' ('Activando la salud de las personas con alzhéimer’) launched by the Association of Relatives of Alzheimer's patients (AFA) in Mijas and which started on Thursday 13th. The Mijas Town Hall hosted the first training day of this initiative, which the president of AFA, María Rosario Cabello, described as "innovative", “differentiating” and "collaborative". The honorary professor of the Andalusian School of Public Health, Mariano Hernán García, was in charge of the training.

Health assets

"The objective of this first meeting is to do the training to know how we have to do the work; to do a mapping of the health assets in our area. To identify resources to improve health. The beauty of this project and what makes it different is that it is very innovative, because we are going to work together, both professionals and citizens and that is different from what is usually done. Normally when we carry out a study, fieldwork, what we do is identify what deficiencies we have or how we can improve. In our case, what we are going to identify is what we already have from a positive point of view to improve its use and that this will help us to improve the health of the population in Mijas," explained Cabello. 

A salutogenic look

"In this first workshop we tried to identify those elements that we call assets for health, which are the resources or factors that are capable of generating health", added the professor. The idea is to take a "salutogenic look, exclusively towards health instead of illness. We are going to focus above all on identifying the assets for health and wellbeing that the municipality of Mijas has. It is about exploring what happens with people, what happens with groups, with institutions, what role physical space and natural, sporting and leisure resources play; what role culture plays and what role the local economy also plays", Hernán explained. In short, he said: "to identify what Mijas has that is capable of generating health and wellbeing".

Alzheimer's disease prevention

The project also focuses specifically on Alzheimer's disease and how to prevent it in a healthier way. "Focusing above all on what the scientific evidence tells us and which can be linked to diet, physical activity, emotional relationships, which are essential, and everything that has to do with the context of the home and the spaces where we move", Hernán García explained. 

Research and caregivers

In Hernán's opinion, in relation to the Alzheimer's disease "a lot of progress is being made in research and, in my opinion, while we are researching the biological causes and biological factors of the disease, it is also essential to work on the issues that make people live better, either those who do not have Alzheimer's or those who are still at a very early stage".

Another aspect that the project focuses on is "how to support families and caregivers, also identifying what are the assets for the welfare of those people who have to take care of someone who has this disease", added the speaker.

Participation

The first training, "was attended by representatives of the Costa del Sol Health District, from the Health Centre of La Cala, Las Lagunas and Mijas. Among them are doctors, social workers, nurses, technicians and social workers from the Mijas Town Hall, both from the Department of Health and Social Services, as well as relatives of patients who are in our centre and volunteers, students and citizens in general", explained Cabello. 

The programme, which is financed by the 'La Caixa' Foundation, is open to the entire population. Attendance at the talks is free, although prior registration is required by emailing afamijas@alzheimerdemalaga.org or by calling 661 867 951 / 952 59 08 10.

Objectives 

The project 'Activating the health of older people with Alzheimer's and other dementias' involves the citizens and the public, associations and businesses in Mijas, based on research-action based on assets for health in their communities. This participatory approach will enable the community to:

• Identify and use local resources that support healthy ageing.
• Empower people with dementia and their carers.
• Prevent social isolation and improve quality of life.
• Promote a community approach to health and care.
• To provide non-pharmacological social prescriptions.

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