By Regina Altena | Project Leader
Report October 2025 - January 2026
Important dates
October 31 - Day of the Dead
November 3-7 - Visit from MAKS Germany
December 9 - Christmas celebration and 7th anniversary party with posada
December celebrations
January 6 – Three Kings Day
January 27 – Interview on Canal Once's Aprender a Envejecer (Learning to Age) program
January 29 – Visit from Japan
Dear friends,
The Mexican Alzheimer's Center sends you a big hug and our best wishes that you had a wonderful Christmas season and a great start to 2026. We hope it will be a year of good health and well-being for your families.
This report reflects our work over four months, from October 2025 to January 2026.
At the end of October, we celebrated the Day of the Dead, as we do every year, an event that is eagerly awaited by the elderly at the Center. The celebration itself, setting up the altar for the dead, dressing up as catrinas or catrins in traditional costumes, and being able to spend time with everyone is a great joy. We invite you to visit us on these special dates!
From November 3 to 7, we were visited by Prof. Dr. Carolin Donath from Prof. Elmar Grässel's team at the University of Erlangen, who developed the MAKS model (German acronym for motor, daily living, cognitive, and social stimulation). Congratulations! In addition to visiting the Center and learning about the progress made in the daily application of MAKS, the Mexican Alzheimer's Center is collaborating with the University of Erlangen in the validation of a test for Latin America that will measure the ability of people with dementia to carry out daily living activities, both instrumental and basic, on their own. We will soon inform you about the results and the publication of this validation.
The start of the December festivities took place this year on December 9 in the Ruby Room near the Center. Seniors, family members, staff, students, and guests enjoyed not only the gathering, Christmas carols, and piñatas, but also the staging of the traditional Christmas posada. Angels, devils, shepherds, Mary, and Joseph populated the stage and received much applause for their excellent performance with the help of the students, accompanied by singing teacher Maru and her choir. Family members contributed delicious food for an unforgettable moment, coinciding with the 7th anniversary of the Mexican Alzheimer's Center in December. Seven years of transforming lives and building community!
The return in the New Year was met with great enthusiasm as everyone shared the rosca de reyes cake on January 6 in commemoration of Three Kings Day. The hugs and cuddles after the holidays were heartfelt, and the dolls in the Rosca will bring tamales on February 2 on Candelaria's Day.
In January, the Center was invited to Channel 11's Aprender a Envejecer (Learning to Age) program to talk about the services and care it offers to older adults with dementia and their families. It was a space for reflection and an invitation for society to learn about dementia, which is a public health problem affecting more than 3 million people in Mexico, and this number continues to grow.
Mexico's population is aging rapidly, with 20 million people over the age of 60 versus 18 million children under the age of 10. We had a visit from a delegation from Japan, whose population is even older. It was a very interesting exchange of experiences over two days of meetings.
The monthly social inclusion Friday was at the end of January! We went to Plaza Popocatépetl at the invitation of the Placemaking Mexico Foundation to socialize and dance together. It was a great day with lots of excitement and enjoyment of the activities!
Help us enable people with dementia to enjoy their functionality and independence for longer through MAKS therapies—with your generous donation, it is possible to change the quality of life of people with dementia and their families.
Thank you very much, from the bottom of our hearts!
Thank you and big hugs,
your Mexican Alzheimer's Center team
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