The auditorium of the Castro Marim Municipal Library will host the congress, which is organised by the José Cabrita Alzheimer's and Dementia Residential Structure and Day Centre, in partnership with the local authority and the University of Algarve, and will feature the participation of doctors, psychologists and specialists in these pathologies, said the Mayor, Francisco Amaral.

The opening session will take place from 9:00 am and will be attended by the Mayor of Castro Marim, the provider of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Castro Marim, José Cabrita, the president of the União das Misericórdias Portuguesas, Manuel Lemos, and the director of the Faro District Social Security Centre, Margarida Flores, the organisation said in a statement. Francisco Amaral told Lusa news agency that this disease is an “increasingly prevalent” pathology, which continues to be “unknown”, and it is increasingly necessary to “know how to deal with patients of this type”, who require specific care.

“Families do not know, many staff at homes and UCC [Continuing Care Units] are also unaware and do not know, because, as you can imagine, these are elderly people with special characteristics, who require special care, and we need to know exactly how to deal with these situations”, stated the mayor to justify the reasons behind holding the congress.

The Mayor recalled that Castro Marim has an Alzheimer's home that is “the only one south of Lisbon”, which has “technicians and doctors who are already specialised in this area” and has scientific support, namely from the University of the Algarve.

“And as such, we thought it would be a good idea to hold the first Alzheimer's congress in the Algarve, to raise awareness of this pathology and the care that must be taken with it”, he argued, pointing out “doctors, nurses, technicians, nursing home and UCC staff and also family members” as the main target audience for the Congress, which is free of charge, but requires prior registration.

Francisco Amaral stressed that the work will include “doctors, psychologists, technicians and specialists linked to universities, from all over the country”, who work with these pathologies and will “raise awareness and teach how to deal with these situations and their implications”, providing “important added value” for those who have to deal with these patients.

The closing of the congress is scheduled for the 28th, with a session that will feature the vice-president of the Castro Marim Municipal Council, Filomena Sintra, the president of the Regional Secretariat of the Union of Portuguese Misericórdias, Armindo Vicente, and the Technical Director of the José Cabrita Residential Structure, Iola Fernandes, the municipality also said.