“We’re overwhelmed. Beyond providing direct support to people with dementia and their caregivers, we offer training to institutions and develop research and intervention projects,” stated Filipa Gomes, the clinical psychologist in charge of the center.
In her remarks, Gomes emphasized the need for the center to include fields like physiotherapy or legal counseling, “but we lack the resources to do so.”
“What we do is try to fill the gaps, but we need more resources and a structured public response. Dementia is going to increase, and we cannot continue to only react when cases are in advanced stages,” she added.
Founded in 2004 in Almeirim, in the district of Santarém, the Ribatejo Center currently has several local offices in partnership with municipalities such as Santarém, Entroncamento, Rio Maior, Mação, and Salvaterra de Magos.
This response, according to Filipa Gomes, came from the realization that “most people with dementia are elderly, many no longer drive, and public transportation is scarce,” making it necessary to “bring services to the communities.”
In the past year and a half, the management of the Ribatejo Center noticed a “substantial increase” in requests for support from people with dementia, which she attributes to earlier diagnoses and efforts to combat the stigma associated with the disease.
The demand “has been growing in all the municipalities of the Santarém district,” noted the clinical psychologist, highlighting that the existing support offices “are all filled.”
Although there are no official statistics quantifying the increase in requests for support, Gomes emphasizes that this reality is apparent to those working directly with the populations.
“It’s our perception, based on over 20 years of experience in the district. The number of people seeking us out has grown across all municipalities, and the support offices are currently all filled,” she stated.
The absence of formal data is indeed one of the gaps she identifies in the public response to dementia.
“Many people with evident signs of the disease lack a formal diagnosis because specialists are scarce, and waiting times in the public health system are long. This hinders understanding the true scale of the issue,” she explained, advocating that family doctors should be able to make diagnoses, as outlined in the National Strategy for Dementia Health, whose implementation on the ground remains limited.
Greater awareness among doctors of early signs of dementia, increased media coverage of the topic, and reduced social stigma are factors that, according to Filipa Gomes, explain the rise in the demand for support.
“People now feel more comfortable seeking help when before there was shame or fear of what the neighbors might think,” she said.
Despite the existence of a National Strategy for Dementia Health, the official believes that “on the ground its implementation has some gaps,” and thus advocates the creation of a national plan for dementia addressing health, social support, and legal framework.
“Today, the responses are fragmented: if it’s a social issue, you go one place; if it’s health-related, another. There’s a lack of an integrated public vision,” she said.
Among the projects currently ongoing at the Ribatejo Center of Alzheimer Portugal, a focus is on research regarding physical and chemical restraints, which are still common in some institutions.
“For years, it was normal to tie people with dementia to chairs or administer medication to keep them sedated. We defend alternatives that focus on dignity and the rights of the person,” the psychologist explained.
The center provides weekly support to people with confirmed diagnoses through cognitive stimulation and psychological support and offers immediate social support to families, particularly in accessing informal caregiver status or the legal process of guardianship.
“It’s crucial for family members to understand that they cannot make decisions on behalf of the person without this legal framework,” she emphasized.
Nationally, Alzheimer Portugal has about 150 employees, with branches in the North, Center, Lisbon, and Madeira, as well as residential structures and specialized day centers.
Recently, the association doubled the capacity of its Residential Structure for the Elderly in Lisbon, increasing from 36 to over 70 residents.
Despite the growth, Filipa Gomes warns that there are areas in the country that remain “in a void, without any specialized support.”
