The San Bartolomé City Council is working to finalize all the details of the protocol that will allow activities with its elders to resume outside the doors.
San Bartolomé, which is part of the strategy of Islands and Municipalities Promoting Health and which has the distinctive “Canarias promotes health”, has recently participated in several meetings at the regional level to articulate the activation of a protocol that allows the elderly of the municipality to carry out outdoor activities safely.
From the San Bartolomé City Council, the needs of the elderly have been tested through a psychological study in which more than a thousand people over 70 years of age have been contacted by telephone. Through these telephone interviews, a great need for activities has been detected.
Alexis Tejera, who chairs the Social Welfare Commission of the Canary Islands Federation of Municipalities (FECAM), explained that “an alarming cognitive development has been detected and it is essential to define protocols, under strict security measures, that allow our elders to go out on the streets now”. In addition, he added that “no more time can be lost and if necessary we must ensure that they can carry out outdoor activities in groups of six”.
The implementation of these protocols will allow San Bartolomé to resume the “Healthy Walks”. These are revitalized walks that identify safe and accessible routes to promote the regular practice of physical activity for health.
These routes are adapted to daily life and promote the socialization of citizens, contributing to the strengthening of the social fabric while promoting physical activity, thus improving the health of the entire community.
Opening of Senior Centers
Likewise, San Bartolomé is also preparing the protocol for the opening of spaces for the elderly in the municipality that from January will offer activities twice a week both in San Bartolomé and in Playa Honda.
Among the activities that will be offered to the elderly of the municipality is a maintenance gymnastics workshop, a memory stimulation workshop and physiotherapy sessions. The City Council wants this project to be established in the long term and for this it plans to hire a multidisciplinary team to develop the initiative throughout the next year.
All these activities are part of the “Intervention Project with the elderly against unwanted loneliness”. This line of work is focused on providing well-being to the elderly of the municipality. The mayor stated that “we are moved by responsibility and from the public administration we are obliged to give back to our elders the effort of their entire lives”.
