The Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (NSD), this Thursday defended a “real quality aging strategy” focused on collaboration, innovation and learning, as well as support for informal caregivers.
This strategy will be implemented within the third phase of the “Lisbon, City of All Ages” program, now renamed “Lisbon, City of Life for All Ages”, with the cooperation of the City Council of Santa Casa da Misericordia. Lisbon (SCML), Public Security Police (PSP), Institute of Social Security (ISS), Regional Health Authority of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (ARSLVT) and Faculdade NOVA Medical School.
“I believe the greatest sign of a city’s progress is how we treat the most fragile, the most vulnerable, including the elderly who are so often abandoned, forgotten and isolated. Let’s not forget them. Elderly people today are our parents and grandparents. , and tomorrow it will be us,” said Carlos Moedas.
As part of the signing of the protocol on the continuation of the program, which took place in the town hall, the mayor recalled that the European Commission in 2019 named Lisbon the oldest capital of the European Union, as well as the results of the 2021 elections. The population census confirms the growth of the “elderly population” – about 127 thousand people, which corresponds to “23% of the population”.
Estimating that the number of older people in Lisbon will “double” by the end of this century, the mayor said aging is a “huge problem” and should be a “top political priority.”
Carlos Moedas highlighted the construction of the local social state in Lisbon, which includes working together with institutions that intervene in this area, highlighting the implementation of the Lisbon 65+ Health Plan, which involves more than 13,000 older people, as well as free public transport for older people people, a measure that helped combat isolation.
In terms of cooperation, the program “Lisbon, a city of life for all ages” will have a local information and coordination center that will allow it to act locally and implement measures, bringing together all partners and those close to the population. namely parish councils.
In terms of innovation, the mayor highlighted the telehealth service, hoping to “reach 2,000 seniors covered by 2026” so that “they can live and age at home with comfort, dignity and security.”
The mayor also highlighted the award that Lisbon received as the European Capital of Innovation 2023, worth one million euros, indicating that he will use part of this amount to create a prize for social innovation.
The Social Democrat also announced the creation of a training center for informal carers as a “never-before-taken step” to help these people, including making sure they have holidays, training, psychological support or legal support.
“There are very difficult professions, but being an informal caregiver is very difficult,” he emphasized.
According to SCML provider Ana Jorge, Lisbon has “a lot of problems with aging and people’s living conditions compared to the old city”, and the challenge is to ensure that older people can live a quality life, “so that they feel like people until the end “
The program “Lisbon – a city of life for all ages” focuses on active and independent living, said Ana Jorge, raising concerns about ageism given that relations with older people have deteriorated.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

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