“We want to avoid situations of dependency and loss of quality of life,” said Berta Muruzabal, physician and director of the Puente la Reina Health Center (Navarra). The Puente la Reina Health Center has organized a meeting to offer vulnerable situations and guidelines for a more “healthy” aging. On October 10, more than a hundred people met at the Sano Aging Conference.

Muruzabal says that in order to achieve the goal, physical exercise must be encouraged that suits the needs of the people, and that when exercising we must work force, endurance and balance. Also, remember that you have to take care of your diet and take medicines “properly”.

Besides exercising, social workers at Izarbeibar Ana Bueno and Maia Saldia recommend having an active social life: “Maintaining social relationships and feeling part of the community improves quality of life.”

The days are not limited to information, the members of the research group Navarrabiomed have offered an adapted physical exercise course. To this end, they have based their Vivifrail programme on: “According to this project, the health of the elderly should not be treated as a disease but as a functionality. The goal is to be as autonomous as possible.” Participants have received a guide adapted to each other's needs to implement the lessons learned at home.

Always in motion

Mertxe is from a small town, seventy-five years old and has participated in the days. Do not want to give the surname: "They've been very interesting and I've learned a lot. But sometimes I feel like we're in the gym." He says that since he was young he has had a “very active life”: “I have always been cleaning the house, cooking, planting in the garden and walking when I could. I think keeping myself active has helped me stay healthier.”

Today he feels “distorted”, but tries to move when he can: “As I am less careful now, I go out every day for a walk and do low-effort things in the garden.” However, the days "weigh" because they are becoming more and more tired: “I know that moving is good, but I also think we should allow ourselves to be calm and have a more sedentary life.”

He adds that he suffers a “strong” aesthetic pressure to have a “perfect look”: “I don’t know if we exercise to care for or meet social expectations”. Mertx stresses that the sentence towards women is present throughout life: “Since we were young they have told us what we have to do, how to dress, what it is to be a good woman and what body we have to have.”

In addition to exercising, you have a weekly appointment with your friends. They usually talk about letters or conversations and often talk about social pressure: “The best time of the week is because I feel understood and it is a space of mutual help.”