BADIA POLESINE (Rovigo) – As announced (read article) on Saturday 1st June Lions Badia-Adige Po and the Lions Club Santa Maria Maddalena Alto Polesinehave promoted an important conference on “Cognitive decline and brain aging”. The day, coordinated by Marco Buttoni, it was aimed at professionals in the sector but also at family members and recorded the participation of 74 people.
The speeches were opened by the general director of the Polesine Ulss Pietro Girardiwho immediately highlighted the importance of the topic discussed, addressing a thought “…to the loved ones who have been missed due to this very serious illness; Alzheimer’s”.
This was followed by “dutiful greetings” of the presidents of the two Lions clubs who promoted the conference. For Badia, Beniamino Mangiola and (in the dual role of president of the Lions and of the House of Smiles) Tommaso Zerbinati. The latter reiterated that the Badia structure is the only one in the province to have a Sapa section (High Alzheimer’s Protection Section) recognized by the Region. Zerbinati then thanked all those who worked hard in organizing the conference, in particular Silvia Lezziero.
Mayor Giovanni Rossimagnifying the excellence of the House, took the opportunity to urge the Region (Laura Cestari present) to take care of the IPAB, “…the only true point of reference for these situations”, concluding with an appeal: “Don’t leave us alone… the IPAB reform can no longer wait.”
Laura Cestari accepted the invitation, ensuring that “The Veneto Region is evaluating a whole series of possibilities to deal with this problem”
The director of the Social and Health Services of the Ulss Marcello Mazzoafter paying homage to the late figure Willy Pagani “…that much was spent for this cause“, he focused on the usefulness of these initiatives open to citizens “…because they help to overcome the stigma that accompanies cognitive impairment… and the difficulty in accepting a relative with these pathologies”.
They also intervened in the roundup of greetings Miriam Rossi, president of Cometsand Dr Sara Zorzan which brought those of the president of the medical association Francesco Noce, focusing on the role of family doctors in supporting caregivers.
The director of the host structure concluded the greetings Vanessa Nicoliclaiming the excellence of Sapa and thanking the staff who work every day for the well-being of the guests.
This was followed by the touching testimony of Giorgio Soffiantini who spoke about the Sapa center in Badia, where his wife suffering from Alzheimer’s was welcomed for 11 years.
Central to the morning was the geriatrician’s report Pierluigi Dal Santo, which took stock of pathologies related to ageing, explaining the substantial differences between cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s, finally opening up hope in the search for possible cures in the next five years. While the causes of dementia are still partly unknown, the pathogenesis is complex but some risk factors are known: genetic ones (Turkey has the world record for these pathologies), depression and loneliness. Active lifestyles and good social relationships, on the other hand, would play a protective role on the onset of senile decline.
Marco Emanuele (officially Knight of the Republic from 2 June), bringing the greetings of the president of the order of nursing professions (Opi) Denis Piombo, recalled the experience gained in the care of dementia in Casa del Smile since 1999 when, thanks to the foresight of the administrators , the structure invested in behavioral disorders. In 2005 there was regional recognition of the Sapa Nucleus and the granting of the commitments. This was followed by an explanation of the entry routes and the healthcare interventions implemented.
Paola Formagliogeneral councilor of the Cariparo Foundation, explained the reasons for the support given to the ORA project while Giacomo Dal Gesso, project manager of the “Orientation-network-listening” project, illustrated the local activities to support caregivers. Monica Roin, operator in “Tutto un futuro Futuro-Comete”, made a digression on the proposals in voluntary relief centers. Finally, the psychologist Maria Spinardispoke about the non-pharmacological treatments carried out in the House of Smiles.
Ugo Mariano Brasioli
