Dear Mrs Kountouri,
I am particularly honoured to be here and congratulate you for the great work you have done. This is a wonderful place which will support and improve the quality of life of our fellow human beings with dementia.
Your Grace Bishop of Mesaoria,
Friend Anastasia,
Honorable Deputy Chief of Police Mr. Demetriou,
Friends Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I am here to greet, on behalf of the President of the Republic, today's event for the inauguration of the Dementia Day Centre of the Charitable Association "ITHAKI" in Nicosia.
The creation of the Day Centre is an important initiative of the Association, which was founded in Limassol in 2011 in order to inform and raise awareness among the community, as well as to provide continuous support to people with dementia and their families, so that they can maintain their quality of life and dignity in all stages of the disease.
The Association's commitment to giving back to its fellow human beings characterizes the vision and spirit of the multifaceted work of "ITHAKIS".
The design and implementation of the Day Centre was a major goal for the Board of Directors of the Association, which after a methodical and organized effort managed to achieve this goal. It brought together the right people in order to provide specialized care and quality care services and created the appropriate infrastructure in which to provide high quality specialized interventions.
Raising awareness and educating the public about the needs and rights of people with dementia is one of the most important pillars of the Association's activities.
The treatment of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is a long journey that starts with prevention and early diagnosis.
The treatment of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is a long journey that begins with prevention and early diagnosis. The role of the Day Center is to be a facilitator in the dementia journey so that the patient and their family are surrounded by appropriate care.
We all understand how painful the gradual changes that the disease brings to a person's functionality and autonomy can be. How difficult it can be to adapt to the new conditions of everyday life, both for the person with dementia and their family.
The families of people with dementia bear the important yet difficult task of caring for them and are often the ones who need support to be able to cope with the difficulties of the disease.
Caring for people with dementia is physically and mentally demanding, as the disease affects the person as a whole, causing multiple difficulties.
We all feel how lonely, stressful and difficult it can be for a person not to be able to express themselves, recognize their loved ones or perform simple daily activities, but also how painful it is for their relatives to experience with them this gradual loss of self.
The improvement and maintenance of the quality of life is therefore the main objective of all programmes provided by health professionals and volunteers.
The Day Centre's programmes focus on psychosocial support, maintaining the social participation of patients and creating environments that are friendly to the elderly.
The State and the Ministry of Health, seeks to participate in and support voluntary activities, recognizing the importance and significance of these partnerships for the provision of health services that contribute to a high standard of living for citizens of all ages.
The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the relevant services (OCYPY and the Directorate of Mental Health Services), has an occupational therapist who offers his services at the Day Centre, at no financial cost to people with dementia.
It is our priority to be outward-looking and to cooperate with institutions and organisations to defend the rights of patients in matters of daily living, well-being, education and the provision of psychosocial and material support, both to the individuals themselves and to their families.
It is therefore a great honour to welcome the opening of the Day Centre.
I wish both the "Ithaca" Association and the people surrounding it to continue to offer dynamic, multi-faceted assistance to patients and their carers. We know that you are carrying out a profoundly humanitarian and social work with respect and vision for the care of our vulnerable fellow human beings with dementia and their families.
I assure you that the State, guided by exactly the same values, will support your remarkable effort and your work.
A big thank you to those who were able to join us at today's event. Good luck in your valuable work.
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