2023-12-26 17:17:10
Photo: Darlin Ramírez Leiva
To comply with the model of age-friendly cities developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a strategy for healthy aging, the Ministry of Health and Environment of Bucaramanga created the geriatrics program.
This is within the Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases program and is focused on carrying out surveillance, identification and search for strategies to strengthen the mechanisms of social and community participation and support in the care processes of the older adult population.
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Thus, the Old Age Route began in accordance with Resolution 3280 of 2018.
Also, training was carried out on topics of comprehensive geriatric assessment, palliative care, dementia and pressure injuries aimed at the community, protection centers and health sector personnel.
Likewise, the training strategy called ‘Caring for Caregivers’ was created aimed at improving the quality of life of caregivers of older adults in Bucaramanga.
‘Caring for Caregivers’ is developed by the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga (UNAB) and is intended to strengthen the skills and improve the quality of life of caregivers of older adults in the capital of Santander.
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Its creation was necessary and important, since according to a study carried out in December 2022, 23.1% of these caregivers were older adults; 18% faced excessive burden; and 77% had not received any type of training.
During the project, we worked on key topics such as healthy aging, self-care and care practices for the elderly.
These areas were addressed through group workshops, home interventions and ongoing support from health professionals through the ‘Friendly Support’ platform, benefiting 600 caregivers.
This program provided training to approximately 1,224 caregivers and evaluation results highlighted a positive impact on the quality of life of this group.
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Participants reported a sense of greater knowledge regarding aging, recognized the importance of self-care, and experienced greater opportunities to refine their elder care practices.
In addition, they expressed greater preparation to face the challenges inherent in caring for this population.
“These types of activities are innovative for us, since they educate us and help us in different aspects of our lives as caregivers, improving our care practices,” said Claudia, a caregiver specialized in palliative care patients.
The Ministry of Health and Environment is committed to developing training projects for caregivers of older adults, thus consolidating its experience in the implementation of the Public Policy on Human Aging and Old Age in the region.
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