The Government reported this Tuesday that in the last four years they have attended 294,000 older adults throughout the national geography. These data were offered by the executive director of the National Council for the Aging (Conape), Jose Garciawho assures that the advances obtained in the current administration have significantly impacted the quality of life of the older population.
He explained that in this period they have offered 18,000,000 services for the elderly, aimed at guaranteeing access to shelter programs, health, legal assistance, economic and social support, education, culture and recreation.
Within the framework of National Day of the Aging PersonGarcÃa pointed out that since 2020 the budget item destined for this population segment has grown significantly.
“President Luis Abinader, vice president Raquel Peña, the government that you have led in the period 2020-2024 is the one that has invested the most in the older adultswith an increase of budget 136% compared to previous administrations,” he said.
Since August 2020, the president has granted 57,000 solidarity pensionsaccording to the balance of the head of Conape.
To date, the government has remodeled and adapted more than 30 homes by day and created 11 new homes in Boca de Yuma, La Otra Banda, Villa Mella, Los Mameyes, Santo Domingo Oeste, Nizao, Azua, Santiago RodrÃguez, Dajabón, Las Matas de Farfán and Villa Tapia.
GarcÃa announced that the government and its intersectoral care table (which brings together 10 institutions) are advancing a project to create a national network of day homes (PASO) and permanent homes (asylum) in 155 municipalities in the country. The program is in development and is scheduled to come into force in the first week of January 2025. The initiative has the purpose of establishing a comprehensive social welfare public policy for older adults.
Winners
This Tuesday it was held in the Las Cariátides Hall of the National Palace the fifth edition of the annual awards: Elderly Adult of the Year and Protector of the Elderly.
The Senior Adult of the Year Award was received Blanca Odette GarcÃa Peña103 years old, for his active life and important contributions to the development of bioanalysis in the country.
GarcÃa Peña is a native of San Pedro de Macoris and has held numerous positions in her professional area, such as head of microbiology at the National Laboratory (1948-1949) and the Clinical Chemistry Section of the National Laboratory (1953-1960).
worked in scientific research alongside doctors José de Jesús Ravelo and Alberto Peguero. In 1949, she participated in the installation of the first National Blood Bank and, in 1974, she was awarded the award of Most Meritorious Professor and later the Medal of Merit of Women.
The Protector of the Elderly Award, awarded to the Geriatric Center San JoaquÃn and Santa Ana, is the largest recognition which is granted to a natural or legal person, public or private, who throughout the year has selflessly carried out exceptional work in terms of protecting the elderly population.
This center is one of the largest in the area of ​​the Cibao and currently has 102 seniors, of which 58 are men and 45 are women from social sectors with limited economic resources, aged between 65 and 113 years.
The award included a plaque recognition and one reward metal of 200,000 pesos.
The event was headed by the vice president of the Republic, Raquel Peña, and had the participation of the first ladyRaquel Arbaje; the executive director of Conape, José GarcÃa; the governor of Santo Domingo, Lucrecia Santana, among other personalities.
