Alzheimer Mexico - Learn and Act

We are starting a New Year and with it our hopes and projects are renewed. It is time to take advantage of the lessons learned from the previous year to expand the work we do. We thank each of you who have trusted our work and directly supported our mission to provide comprehensive care to people with Alzheimer's or similar dementia, their caregivers and family members to improve their quality of life.

As part of the gratitude that we have for your support, we are pleased to share with you the activities that we have done in the months of November and December 2020 up to now.

We will start with celebration: with our traditional Day of the Dead on November 2^nd. We held the traditional literary skull contest and a small socially distanced gathering, with sweets and fun costumes.

From November 9th to 23rd, in alliance with the Institute for the Dignified Aging of Mexico City (INED) and the Compartamos Foundation, we carried out the “Training Course for Professionals in Services for the Elderly on Alzheimer's and other dementias”, through our platform www.alzheimercapacitacioncontinua.org.mx. We appreciate the speaker’s participation and the 55 attendees who have strengthened their knowledge of mental health.

We would also like to thank Dr. Alejandro from INED, for giving us an interesting talk on November 23rd entitled “Talk about COVID - Coronavirus and Older People: Care and Prevention”, which was transmitted for free by the foundation's Facebook. Thank you, Doctor!

On December 17th, one of the founders of Alzheimer Mexico, I.A.P., Lilia Maria Groues del Mazo, received an important recognition as a volunteer in the framework of the XVII Philanthropy Day, organized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) of Mexico.

All our donors are important. However, we would like to give special thanks to Fundación para la Protección a la Niñez, I.A.P. for donating a wide range of products to keep the Center operating. We also thank the Fund for Inclusion and Social Welfare (FINBIS), in Mexico City, who have supported us in carrying out various online and face-to-face activities from June to December 2020. We congratulate the efforts of the caregivers and family members who, despite the pandemic, have been interested in continuing to participate in the activities we have prepared for them with great care.

We closed 2020 with an interesting talk by our Social Worker about "The inclusion of the Alzheimer's patient in Christmas and other celebrations". Thanks to all who connected.

On January 5th we started the year with a new project in alliance with the Center for Activities and Assisted Canine Therapy (CENATAC). Through this alliance, for 6 months, we will receive visits from specialists in assisted intervention who use dogs as part of the therapy process, in order to complement the strategies of our care model. We are very grateful to Sam, Carlota, Hachy, Chaperrito, our 4-legged lovely friends and for the great work that Dr. Vanessa does.

On January 6th, we shared a delicious "rosca de reyes", a Mexican tradition, in a small, socially distanced group. Even small, it meant a lot for all the ones involved.

As we have mentioned before, we reiterate how grateful we are for your support which allows the foundation to keep operating both remotely and face-to-face.

We invite you to keep an eye on our website and social networks, because very soon we will announce a new alliance for fundraising, in which we will be offering a very high-quality product that you will love and at the same time will support our social cause. And we also invite you to read our Annual Activity Report on our website.

Don´t forget: from March 8th to 12th, we are waiting for you to help us invite your family and friends to become donors, through the Little by Little campaign. During this campaign, all eligible donations up to $50 per unique donor per organization will be matched at 50% for as long as the campaign is live. Matching funds will be available throughout the entire five-day campaign. Thank you.

Links:

• Annual Activity Report
• Alzheimer Mexico YouTube Channel
• COVID Conference

We are very pleased to inform you that despite the difficulties imposed by the pandemic, we continue to work and innovate to provide care. Many family members share with us the importance of the non-pharmacological treatment we provide and it is a pleasure to be able to give them this flexibility of care, with both face to face and remote activities.

In August, we celebrated Elderly´s Day remotely and prepared, with the creation of a Security Protocol, to return part of the activities in our foundation.

September, World Alzheimer's Month, begins with the reopening of face to face activities, with small groups, and with all the prevention measures. Our traditional Alzheimer's - Learn and Act event took place virtually from September 18th to 21th, by live transmission on our Facebook page. You can see the material available both in www.alzheimeraprendeyactua.org and in our Youtube channel.

We are especially grateful to Vía Natural, Visiting Angels Mexico and Laboratorios Senosiain, S.A. de C.V. for supporting us in this project, which aims to guide and raise awareness among patients, caregivers and families about Alzheimer's disease and similar dementias. Thanks to the effort of our alliances and the 26 speakers who have talked about important health issues, we have reached 17,010 people in more than 15 countries.

In October, we received the pleasant visit of the group members of the Faculty of Economics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), who played traditional Mexican songs and brightened up the atmosphere. In addition, on October 26th, the Dr. José Castro Villagrana Health Center gave 50 influenza vaccines to beneficiaries, family members and collaborators of the foundation. Thank you for the support!

Finally, on October 12th, same date Alzheimer Mexico, I.A.P.´s anniversary, we received the renovation of the seal of Accreditation and Transparency, granted by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy, in its optimal level. Great work!

We invite you to follow us on our social networks (@alzheimermexico) where we continue to hold free informative conferences and to continue supporting this important cause. Without your help, these achievements would not be possible. We wish you all the best and excellent holidays this end of the year. Even though we are separated, we are not alone.

Please let us know your questions and comments about this report and our work. Happy 2021!

Links:

• Alzheimer - Aprende y Actua 2020
• Youtube Alzheimer Mexico, I.A.P.
• AIT - CEMEFI 2020 (min 10:25)