The activities of the project “First Steps with Dementia. Living it without shame, knowing it without fear” continue. The project was initiated by Ra.Gi. - a Third Sector organization that since 2006 has been exclusively supporting people with neurodegenerative diseases – and was carried out through an investment granted by Fondazione Roma, a banking institution that, for the first time, has committed itself outside the Lazio region. Due to its significant social impact on the territory, the project also received the support of the Municipality of Catanzaro, one of the twenty-eight municipalities involved throughout the province. The Administration collaborated in organizing eight city stops for an itinerant route that is crossing the capital from one end to the other, with the aim of providing access to essential informational, screening, listening, and support services for people with dementia and their families. After starting from Piazza Prefettura in the historic center, the multidisciplinary team, composed of psychologists, social workers, educators, and trainers, aboard the customized mobile unit, has in fact reached the areas of Mater Domini, Gagliano, Siano, Pontepiccolo, Sala, and Corvo.
Numerous citizens – including young people and families – stopped at the information points, where they could receive informational materials, interact with the staff, complete assessment questionnaires to identify or quantify cognitive decline, receive consultations, and learn about the services available in the area.
“Stop after stop, the project is implementing proximity interventions that translate into useful, concrete, and accessible help for everyone,” commented city councilor Francesco Scarpino. "At the same time, it carries out a true cultural operation to promote an ethic of collective responsibility, aiming to dispel the stigma, fear, and shame associated with dementia, phenomena that negatively affect the quality of life of those living with this condition.”
Two more stops are scheduled for the route in Catanzaro: Tuesday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Santa Maria district, along Viale Isonzo (Market area), and Thursday, July 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Lido district on the seafront (Saliceti Terrace). The interest shown by citizens at each stop of this Ra.Gi. journey clearly reveals how necessary it is to fill the gap in social and care services for people with dementia and for those who care for them. For this reason, after the summer break, the resumption of the tour will be considered, reaching parts of the city not covered in this first phase, to continue extending a helping hand to those facing the disease and to break the indifference towards the most vulnerable.