Lanzarote hosts the 'I Insular Cognitive Olympics for Seniors'

People from all municipalities and La Graciosa will participate in the initiative, whose objective is to promote mental stimulation

September 19 2024 (10:18 WEST)
Presentation of the 'I Cognitive Olympiads'
Presentation of the 'I Cognitive Olympiads'

The Cabildo of Lanzarote, through the Department of Seniors and Intergenerational Relations, directed by Nori Machín, presented this Wednesday the I Insular Cognitive Olympics for Seniors in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, a novel event that aims to promote the cognitive and social well-being of the elderly on the island.

This project seeks to create a space for meeting and fun, where seniors from all municipalities can participate in activities designed to stimulate their cognitive abilities. In the words of the councilor, "these Olympics not only promote leisure and entertainment, but, above all, seek to raise awareness among our seniors about the importance of taking care of their mental and cognitive health to maintain an active and autonomous old age."

During the presentation, the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, highlighted the importance of this new action within the framework of the Institution's social policies. "This is an initiative whose purpose is to enrich the lives of our seniors. From public administrations, we have the responsibility to ensure that our seniors not only live more years, but live them with greater quality, enjoying an active, healthy, and autonomous life," Betancort emphasized.  

The president also emphasized that "these Cognitive Olympics would not be possible without the collaboration of all the people involved: the teams that have organized this event, the professionals who will lead the activities, the volunteers from the Association of Relatives of Alzheimer's Patients of Lanzarote, and of course, all the seniors who will participate, proudly representing their municipalities."

 

More than 400 senior participants

The I Insular Cognitive Olympics will be held next Saturday, September 21, at the Arrecife Sports City, coinciding with International Alzheimer's Day, and will have the participation of more than 400 seniors from all the municipalities of the island and La Graciosa. As Councilor Nori Machín points out, "these Olympics are open to all seniors who wish to participate, offering practical and entertaining tools to work on their cognitive abilities in a relaxed and friendly environment."

In this sense, Victoria Hernández, founder of Saravá Neurorehabilitation, pointed out that, "among the objectives of these Olympics are to give visibility to the harsh disease of Alzheimer's and to bet on mental stimulation in the prevention of cognitive deterioration of our seniors."

For his part, Álvaro Fernández, representative of AFA, the Association of Relatives of Alzheimer's Patients of Lanzarote, focused on the importance of prevention and active aging. "We are very satisfied with the development of this type of motivating activities that also become an opportunity to act, preventively, against cognitive deterioration, thus improving the quality of life of our parents and grandparents."

From the Cabildo of Lanzarote, they encourage all seniors to participate in these I Cognitive Olympics that are held in collaboration with the City Councils and whose objective is that in future editions they rotate through all the municipalities.

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