Calpe Town Council, through its Department of Social Welfare, has promoted various initiatives at the La Casa Roja family respite centre, which cares for people with cognitive degeneration problems. The improvements include planting trees to provide natural shade for the grounds and plans to widen the perimeter pavement to facilitate mobility for users.
In addition, there are plans to provide the centre with a new minibus, adapted for the transport of users.
The ‘La Casa Roja’ Family Respite Unit runs a Specific Programme for people with Alzheimer's and other similar conditions, managed by the recently renewed multidisciplinary team at Tacte Social. The team consists of a psychologist and centre coordinator, together with two assistants whose job is to adapt the activities to the individual needs of each user.
The therapies include innovative ideas such as cooking workshops, in which users participate in preparing recipes. These activities stimulate the senses, such as taste and smell, while improving coordination and procedural memory, which are key aspects in slowing the progression of cognitive degeneration.
This centre, which was inaugurated in May 2023 in the Casa Roja, has a maximum capacity of 15 users, although there are currently up to 18 registered users, as not all of them attend every day. An average of 12 people are attended to each day. It is a free service for citizens as it is fully funded by Calpe Town Council at an annual cost of £49,500. The council also offers a free municipal transport service to these facilities, located in the Cocó district, which are also open to users in summer.
The Councillor for Social Welfare, Itziar Doval, emphasised that: ‘We are committed to the well-being of our citizens, and these improvements at La Casa Roja are a clear example of this’. ‘Cognitive stimulation activities are essential for these people and also represent an important relief for their families.´
It should be noted that the centre also provides support services for the families of sick people and prepares them for the changes they will have to face as a result of the progressive deterioration of these diseases. The centre also provides respite for these families, who will have more time to rest.
The councillor added that this programme has also made use of the Casa Roja, a municipal building constructed some 15 years ago that was only used occasionally as accommodation for volunteers during the excavation campaigns at the medieval Pobla d'Ifac site.