Jose Manuel was born 69 years ago in La Gomera, served as a national police officer for over three decades, and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2018. Francisco Tovar is 74 years old, has been a member of the PSOE-PSC for most of his life, and has been receiving specific care since 2016 to alleviate the effects of the disease. Francisco and Jose Manuel are two members of Parkinson’s in Tenerife who put a face to a reality that currently affects over 14,900 people in the Archipelago. However, the worst is yet to come. Experts predict that by 2050 this incidence could triple.
The data from the islands are on par with the national average: in Spain, 10,000 cases are confirmed annually, with the number of affected individuals nearing 150,000. 70% of these patients are over 65 years old, and 30% are under 50. Parkinson Tenerife opened its doors in 2001 and currently has centres in three other municipalities. Out of the members who received support at the Los Baldios facilities (La Laguna) last year, 93 were men and 78 were women, with a team of 27 professionals catering to the needs of 171 affected individuals.
Moreover, their professionals worked directly with 120 families, organized over 5,200 individual interventions, and around a thousand group sessions. In the vicinity of North Tenerife, there is a framework in place involving workers responsible for providing information, advice, and guidance to patients and their families. Once the initial interview is completed and a strategy is outlined, social workers, psychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, social integrators, and administrative staff come into play…
Collaboration Agreements
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The La Laguna headquarters of Parkinson Tenerife is awaiting the reception of a new floor in the building provided by the La Laguna City Council to expand their services: opening a day centre and a community centre. Currently, they have several collaboration agreements in place with the Tenerife Island Council, Canary Islands Government, various municipal councils in Tenerife, and the LaCaixa Foundation. Promoting social integration and, above all, the coexistence of the members is one of the main focuses within the association where current affairs are also a topic of conversation. During this visit, for example, we wanted to hear the opinion of Francisco Tovar, former first deputy to the Commoners’ Parliament, on the current political landscape: “I have always been a man who sought consensus and points of unity among parties, and it saddens me to see the political activity turning into a battlefield”, he advances before making a more partisan judgment on the actions of Pedro Sanchez.
Extremely astute in his analysis, Tovar sees his party “in crisis”, but with the assurance that 145 years of history support its existence. “Being leftist is something that no one can change… Sanchez has shown great strength to return after the treatment he received from the executive committee. It is clear that he is not free from making mistakes, but he has great mental strength,” defends a socialist who is countered by Jose Manuel. “I don’t believe much in those things because I am apolitical”, adds the former CNP official before making a comment full of irony. “The only one who stands out here is Commander Curbelo,” he clarifies in a clear reference to the perennial President of the La Gomera Island Council and founder of the Gomera Socialist Group (ASG).
Chronic and Irreversible
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Parkinson’s is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible disease. Anticipating the most critical phase is therefore a “good opportunity for professionals to contain the damage,” comments physiotherapist and speech therapist Nayra Gonzalez, director of the La Laguna branch of Parkinson Tenerife, on the work done at the centre.
Changing the mood of patients, most of whom enter with acute depressive symptoms, and giving them some autonomy to perform daily tasks are the fundamental pillars of the weekly sessions: “We adapt to what each patient requires [physiotherapists, speech therapists, and psychologists] and alternate them with individual and group meetings,” says a supervisor overseeing a rehabilitation session.
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“We know that progress will be slow and minimal, but seeing a patient make small advances is a victory,” concludes.
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