On Friday, November 28th, the Torrevieja City Council talked about the proposed “Tomás Ballester Herrera” Day Centre for people with Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders. It will be erected in Sector 25 of the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU), across from the Quirón Hospital. It will have a building space of about 2,700 square metres and a site of more than 7,900 square metres to serve at least 100 patients. The budget is thought to be between 7 and 8 million euros.
Architect Francisco Juárez is now working on the project, which was given €204,354 and has a six-month deadline. This means that the draughting should be done by April 2026. The construction work for the centre will be put out to bid once it is finished. It is expected to take a year.
The Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, the councillor for NGOs and Volunteering, Trudy Páez, the architect who came up with the proposal, and the president of AFA Torrevieja, Purificación García, all talked about the project for the new centre at the association’s offices. The centre will have an area for access and administration (421 square meters for a reception area, a cloakroom, luggage storage, a director’s office, four administrative offices, a multipurpose room for professionals, a kitchenette, an auditorium, and accessible restrooms for visitors), a general services area (482 square meters for a dining room and accessible restrooms, a kitchen, a pantry, a garbage and cleaning room, a laundry room, storage rooms, changing rooms, a utility room, and a hallway), and a specialised care area (1,080 square meters for three multipurpose activity rooms, an activity and social room, a rehabilitation room, an occupational therapy room, three physiotherapy cabins, a psychology office, two treatment and healing rooms, a medical consultation room, a hair salon, and a podiatry clinic). offices, adapted restrooms, geriatric bathrooms, and a distributor).
Demand from society
The City Council says that this project is a big step towards meeting one of Torrevieja’s main social needs. It will give the city a specialised place where patients’ needs can be met in a way that is both complex and changing, and it will also give family members and primary carers important support.
The mayor said, “It will be a modern, accessible, and fully adapted space designed to offer a safe, comfortable, and stimulating environment so that users receive specialised and quality care, but also so that their families find the support they need in a process that is often especially difficult.”
So, he said, “it is not just a building,” but “a commitment to the dignity, well-being, and quality of life of those who need it most.”
Páez said, “The awarding of this contract brings us closer to the goal of having a first-rate social and healthcare resource to care for our elderly and people suffering from Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, since given the complexity and the impact it has on people and their families, these centres have become an indispensable resource.”
The president of AFA also praised the centre, saying it was “much needed to be able to care for more and more people with this disease.” The association now has a waiting list of at least 30 to 35 persons.
Author: Derek Appleton
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