Redaccion
The Social Welfare Area of the City Council of La Laguna, through the Healthy Aging and Dynamization service of Muvisa, and the National Police have agreed to expand the program of safety talks for seniors that, since April 8th, has visited three associations in different towns and neighborhoods of the locality. Following the fantastic reception of the initiative, which is part of the national Elderly Safety Plan and has already attracted about 150 participants from the municipality, the project will promote three new talks in other districts and will incorporate new topics proposed by the attendees, such as gender violence.
«Different institutions and associations have joined forces to help improve the self-protection of our seniors and provide them with essential information and advice to help them protect themselves and know how to act in risky situations or criminal acts that, more often and taking advantage of their vulnerabilities, are committed against this group. These talks also serve as a knowledge network that extends to families and friends, so the real reach far exceeds the number of participants,» highlights the Councilor for Social Welfare, María Cruz.
Representatives from the National Police’s Citizen Participation Group on the Island are participating in this initiative, which focuses on proximity and providing simple advice, listening to the concerns and cases raised by the attendees themselves. During the past month, the program visited the headquarters of the senior associations Nueva Generación (El Cardonal), Teobaldo Power (Las Mercedes), and Ipalan (La Cuesta).
This expanded program started yesterday at the headquarters of the Nuestra Ilusión association (Chimisay) and will continue today (June 10) at the San Joaquín and Santa Ana association (El Ortigal). Soon, the date for the talk at the La Fortaleza senior association (Princesa Yballa) will be determined. The initiative will delve into situations that may occur in public spaces, while traveling, withdrawing money, online, or at home, with recommendations to avoid risks and protect against theft or scams, as well as providing all the information and resources on gender violence.
«Actions like this once again demonstrate that the role played by associations is essential to gather the demands of the group and continuously improve our annual program of training, leisure, participation, and promotion of healthy aging,» explains the coordinator of the Dynamization service for seniors at Muvisa, one of the most comprehensive in the insular scope and aimed at the over 43,000 seniors in the municipality who are over 60 years old.
This local strategy, which has earned the municipality its recognition by Imserso as an Age-Friendly City, brings together over 90 weekly workshops at about 40 locations in all districts, as well as innovative actions that include physical exercise, mental health improvement, digitalization, cultural promotion, and cognitive development. An extensive program that, under the motto «Much to Live For,» also aims to combat the crisis of unwanted loneliness among seniors.
This municipal offering, which has become a local benchmark in the Islands, is reinforced through constant collaboration with other institutions and entities, such as the Economic and Social Forum (FES) of La Laguna, the Bank of Spain, the CB Canarias Foundation, or the Cajasiete Pedro Modesto Campos Foundation, among others, with activities that include talks, tailored training, and resources for seniors to enhance their security and protect themselves from fraud, counterfeiting, or digital scams.
National Program
The extensive annual program is expanded with this new collaboration with the National Police’s Citizen Participation Group and within the framework of the Elderly Safety Plan, promoted by the State Secretariat of Security of the Ministry of the Interior and carried out by the Civil Guard and the National Police.
This national program aims to prevent the main threats identified for the safety of seniors, such as abuse in its various forms, robberies (at home, with violence, in the vicinity of financial institutions, etc.), thefts, as well as scams and fraudulent use of their properties, funds, accounts, and savings books by third parties.
Furthermore, the initiative seeks to foster the trust of seniors in the State security forces and bodies and to encourage proactive behaviors for reporting situations and crimes they may fall victim to, as well as to enhance the police response in their interactions with seniors.
