Barcelona prioritises research and social-healthcare support linked to Alzheimer’s

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau was the setting for “Barcelona for Alzheimer’s: pioneer in research, committed to assistance and support”, a conference organised for the first time and inaugurated by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and the managing director of Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Adrià Comella.

The conference, part of the World Alzheimer’s Day (21 September) commemorations, was attended by the City Councillor for Health, People with Disabilities and the Strategy against Loneliness, Marta Villanueva, among other authority representatives.

Aimed at people with neuro-degenerative illnesses, their families, carers, healthcare and research professionals, the conference showed Barcelona is a leading city for scientific research into Alzheimer’s disease, and asserted the need for public bodies and institutions to continue providing resources in this field.

In his speech, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, conveyed a message of unity and collaboration: “We face a very important challenge in public health, where the commitment among the organisations and administrations involved in this struggle against neuro-degenerative diseases and help for sufferers and their families is essential”.  Collboni also stressed the challenge posed, in social and healthcare terms, as well as for the city itself: “We need to rethink the city for an ageing society, which is why Barcelona is working on two aspects, research and social support, both with the goal of making progress in improving the dignity of patients, funding for research, breaking down the gender divide for carers and improving the institutional dimension”.

Experts in the different roundtables underlined the efforts being made in the sphere of social and healthcare support for sufferers and their families by public bodies and organisations on the Barcelona Alzheimer’s Board.  In that regard, improvements must continue to be made in the comprehensive care of those affected and help for families to cope with the psychological impact represented by the illness.

Closing the meeting, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau’s managing director, Adrià Comella, highlighted the efforts being made in assistance and research so we can tackle this disease, noting that even though there is still a long way to go, some milestones have been achieved that “invite optimism”.

Sant Pau Research Institute, a pioneer in the study of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is currently experiencing a paradigm shift, with significant advances in diagnosis and treatment. And Hospital de Sant Pau has made some important contributions in this field. One of the most notable advances in the last year is a study headed by researchers from the Dementia Neurobiology Group at the Sant Pau Research Institute, identifying a new genetic form of the illness. The research team discovered that nearly all people with two copies of the APOE4 gene develop signs of Alzheimer’s.

In addition, Sant Pau researchers took part in another study that showed that a blood test can diagnose Alzheimer’s with an accuracy rate of more than 90%. In the past, the only way of diagnosing this neuro-degenerative illness was through post-mortem studies using brain samples. The introduction of the new technique in the diagnostic process could significantly reduce the need for additional tests, cutting the number of tests needed to confirm the illness by 80%.

Hospital de Sant Pau also has a pioneering multi-disciplinary unit on a global scale, the Alzheimer-Down Unit, made up of specialists in neurology, neuro-psychology, nursing and social work. Recognised by the Catalan Government, this unit is the leading centre in Catalonia for the treatment of neurological pathologies linked to Down’s syndrome, and its main aim is to carry out screening among the population for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

Barcelona Alzheimer’s Board

The meeting also included a reading of the Manifesto by the organisations in the Barcelona Alzheimer’s Board, created in 2018 and made up of organisations and foundations providing support for those affected and their families, and offering support, prevention, awareness and research services relating to Alzheimer’s.

The document mainly asserts the need to make progress in terms of including the perspective of Alzheimer’s in the community: “We urgently need to implement the policies and resources needed to adapt to demographic change and its effect on society while scientific efforts are made to put an end to the illness”. The manifesto also notes that, unfortunately, “neither the health service nor social services offer adequate services for those diagnosed or their families until very late stages of the illness”, and this highlights the need for “comprehensive support and social and healthcare assistance for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, including effective support for them and their families from the point they are diagnosed”.

The organisations making up the board are: Fundació ACE Alzheimer Center Barcelona, Fundació Uszheimer, Associació de Familiars de Persones amb Alzheimer i altres demències de Barcelona (AFAB), Alzheimer Catalunya Fundació and Fundació Pasqual Maragall.

Barcelona City Council’s Directorate for Health Services and Care has been working with these organisations for many years, promoting joint actions through the Barcelona Alzheimer’s Board to improve the well-being of sufferers and their families.

Besides all the social support services for dependent people and those who care for them, such as the Home Help Service and the Telecare Service, plus support programmes such as the Carer Card, the City Council has launched a specific subsidy call for the first time this year aimed at projects providing support for people caring for those with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.