Castro Marim’s Municipal Library will host the region’s first Congress on Alzheimer’s and Dementia on September 27 and 28.
The Algarve’s first Congress on Alzheimer’s and other Dementias will be held in Castro Marim between September 27 and 28. Its purpose is to raise awareness and teach professionals and families how to deal with patients suffering from such pathologies.
The Castro Marim Municipal Library’s auditorium will host the Congress, organised by the José Cabrita Residential Structure and Alzheimer’s and Dementia Day Centre in partnership with the Municipality and the University of Algarve. The Municipality’s president, Francisco Amaral, shared that the panel of speakers will include doctors, therapists, and experts in these illnesses.
The opening session starts at 09h00 on September 27. It will feature the participation of the president of the Chamber of Castro Marim, the provider of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Castro Marim, José Cabrita, the president of the União das Misericórdias Portuguesas, Manuel Lemos, and the director from the Faro District Social Security Center, Margarida Flores.
Francisco Amaral highlighted the rising occurrence of this disease, the cause of which remains unknown, emphasising the importance of effectively managing patients of this kind who need particular care.
“Family members lack the knowledge to provide proper care for their loved ones, and many staff members at shelters and Continued Care Units are also uninformed and inexperienced in handling patients, especially considering they are elderly individuals with unique needs. It is necessary to know exactly how to deal with these situations,” the mayor stated, justifying the reasons behind hosting the Congress.
The mayor of the Municipality highlighted that Castro Marim houses the sole Alzheimer’s care facility below Lisbon, equipped with specialised professionals and scientific backing from the University of Algarve.
“And as such, we believed hosting the first Alzheimer’s conference in the Algarve was important, to raise awareness about this pathology and the care that needs to be taken with it”, he explained, pointing out “doctors, nurses, technicians, nursing home and UCC employees and also family members” as the primary target audience of the Congress, which is free, but requires prior registration via e-mail at geral@scmcastromarim.pt.
According to Francisco Amaral, the event will include doctors, psychologists, technicians, and specialists connected to nationwide universities focusing on these conditions. It will increase understanding and educate on how to handle such scenarios and their consequences, offering significant benefits to individuals managing these patients.
“The care home [in Castro Marim] is full. There should be half a dozen more of them here in the Algarve”, he exclaimed. “Some patients with dementia are in homes that do not have the technical knowledge to deal with these situations. Some are with their family, who have even less knowledge, and it is exhausting to be on call 24 hours a day caring for a family member with dementia”, he acknowledged.
Francisco Amaral underscored that a significant number of these family members are in a state of desperation due to having a family member with dementia at home, and he deemed the decision to push ahead with the establishment of the José Cabrita Residential Structure and Alzheimer’s and Dementia Day Centre in Castro Marim as entirely justified.
The mayor emphasised that dementia is not limited to older individuals, as people in their 50s and 60s can also develop the disease.
As announced by the city hall, the congress will conclude on the 28th. It will feature speeches from Filomena Sintra, Armindo Vicente, and Iola Fernandes from Castro Marim City Council, União das Misericórdias Portuguesas, and Residential Structure José Cabrita, respectively.
The congress’ complete programme can be found here.
