It is estimated that caring for an Alzheimer's patient amounts to 31,000 euros per year for families. This was emphasized by Professor Ana Canga-Armayor, PhD in Nursing from the University of Navarra and one of the experts who will be part of the roundtable "Caring for the caregiver", which will take place on Friday, September 16 from 18 to 21 h. in the auditorium of CIMA, within the summer course "Alzheimer's disease in 360º".

According to the expert, "it is necessary to approach the disease not only from the point of view of the patient and his or her health care, but also taking into account the family as a whole, with public policies that take caregivers into account, and with professionals trained to provide them with the attention and care they require.

"In southern European countries, we continue to encourage the family to take care of the sick. Families say they want to do it, but with professional financial aid and support services, not alone. This is the challenge: to change the approach care system to include what we call the "hidden patient", who is none other than the family caregiver", adds Ana Canga.

The specialist reminds us that the patient will only be well cared for if his or her caregivers are also well cared for: "When a family receives the news that one of its members has Alzheimer's, the life of the entire family can change radically. The impact of this, and the challenges it poses, can lead to family crises. This is why we must have trained professionals who know how to respond to their new needs." "This status", stresses the researcher, "is already suffered by almost 47 million people in the world, but in twenty years it is estimated that this figure will double".

94% of patients are cared for by their families

Ana Canga-Armayor points out that this status is increasingly affecting people who have to care for their children and, at the same time, look after a parent or relative suffering from Alzheimer's disease: "The latest figures show that 94% of sufferers are cared for by their family. In fact, in Spain, one in four households is affected by the disease. These data highlight the weight that the family has in the care and the need for attention that it requires in order not to lose its own life". 

"Our goal as professionals," the expert concludes, "is promote what we call a "Sustainable Family Caregiver", providing these families with the means, resources and opportunities necessary to face and live with the disease in the best possible way, based on a global commitment by all."

The roundtable "Caring for the caregiver", organized by the School of Pharmacy of the University of Navarra, will also include specialists Idoia Lorea, representative of AFAN (association de Familiares de Alzheimer de Navarra); Belén González Glaria, geriatrician at the Hospital de Navarra; and Alfonso del Val, social worker.