More than 500,000 adults over the age of 60 live in Panama, a figure that will increase in the coming years, as revealed by the Ministry of Social Development (Mides), during the celebration of the Week of the Third Age.
The Minister of Mides, María Inés Castillo, stressed that for this reason, the government seeks to strengthen a National Care System with a Care System Pilot that begins with the first Day Home for the Elderly, which will allow older people to receive special attentions that promote healthy aging.
The celebration of the Week of the Third Age began with a homily presided over by Monsignor José Domingo Ulloa in the Cathedral Basilica Santa María la Antigua church in Panama.
At the end of the Eucharist, Minister Castillo emphasized that the Care System is aimed at serving three (3) priority populations: older adults, children and people with disabilities.
Likewise, he invited the population to care for and protect the elderly who have contributed so much to the social and economic development of the country. In this sense, he stressed that we are all responsible for the protection of this age group.
For his part, Monsignor Ulloa indicated, during the mass, that the elderly population is the treasure of humanity, in this sense he called on society to care for and protect this population.
He stressed that a society is measured by the way it cares for its older adults, which is why he motivated everyone to protect and integrate the elderly population.
After the mass, the senior groups held a parade in the Plaza de la Catedral, where they wore colorful skirts and typical costumes alluding to national holidays.
The National Coordinator for the Elderly of MIDES, Irasema Rosas de Ahumada, referred to the projects and programs carried out by the institution in favor of this population. He explained that more than one million balboas have been invested in the Day House, which will serve more than a hundred people, and another half million balboas in the rehabilitation and equipment of the facilities of the Residencial Los Años Dorados in Pacora, which will benefit more than 120 seniors.
He added that more than 500,000 adults over the age of 60 live in Panama, a figure that will increase in the coming years.
Forum “Cities Friendly to the Elderly”
Minister María Inés Castillo and the MIDES National Coordinator for the Elderly, Irasema Rosas de Ahumada, together with the Santa María La Antigua University (USMA), organized the Forum “Cities Friendly to the Elderly”, within the framework of the Week of the third Age.
MIDES, in coordination with organized groups of older adults, made a schedule of artistic, cultural, sports and activities of interest for the Week of the Third Age, which promotes healthy aging.
