“It is indeed a differentiated, innovative response that attempts to depict in various facilities and offerings the daily life of people facing diseases that either affect cognitive capacity, such as Alzheimer’s, or mobility, such as Parkinson’s,” stated during the inauguration of the center built by the Associação de Solidariedade Social São Pedro.
Luís Montenegro expressed that he insisted on visiting Sanfins today because “this is a project providing a solution in an area, mental health, that increasingly requires investments, both from the Government and from governmental support for society’s investments, as is the case with this Private Institution of Social Solidarity (IPSS).”
Beyond addressing the needs of 58 users, the Prime Minister also highlighted the creation of qualified job opportunities, thus enabling the retention of people in this northern municipality in the Vila Real district.
Earlier, during his speech, he mentioned that from today onwards, in Lisbon, Porto, or Coimbra, “solutions inspired by Sanfins can begin to be devised.”
The Centro de Relevância Alzheimer e Parkinson Portugal is set to begin operations in August, creating around 70 jobs and having the capacity to host 58 users needing differentiated responses in the area of neurodegenerative diseases.
The president of the Associação de Solidariedade Social São Pedro stated that today a dream was realized and that this center addresses a gap that exists in the country, describing the project as “pioneering” in providing appropriate support and response to those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
In this “symbolic village,” patients will receive support from a multidisciplinary team that includes therapists, social workers, psychologists, and animators.
The facility offers animal therapy, with horses, donkeys, dogs, fish, and birds, and features a mini shopping center with shops, a hairdresser, a kiosk, and a restaurant, recreating a familial environment that encourages social interaction.
The Centro de Relevância Alzheimer e Parkinson Portugal also boasts a ‘snoezelen’ room for multisensory brain stimulation, music therapy, a sensory garden (an outdoor space designed to stimulate the senses and promote calm), as well as physiotherapy, a gym, and a jacuzzi.
“These individuals need to be occupied daily,” highlighted Leonardo Paredes Batista, adding that the inspiration for “this village” came from similar projects in the Netherlands and California, USA.
The investment amounts to approximately three million euros, funded by the Programa de Alargamento da Rede de Equipamentos Sociais (Pares), with support from the Valpaços City Hall and a bank loan from the Private Institution of Social Solidarity (IPSS). Construction began in February 2023.
