A great opportunity to create a life project

The Jofré Rehabilitation Day Center works day by day with people affected by mental illness.

The Jofré Psychosocial Rehabilitation Day Center is a unique space, in which people affected by mental illness are able to carry out different activities that allow them to explore their abilities. Doctor Luis Ángel López Menéndez, president of the center, assures that the most important thing in these cases is to create a vital project. “Rehabilitation and medicine must go hand in hand in order to achieve the desired goals. It is essential that there is a life goal, that they do not hide and isolate themselves from society. They are people who must deal with a disease in their day-to-day life and learn to live with it. ”

To help them walk this path, they are accompanied by professionals from the center, such as Roberto and Susana, who coexist with cases that are in all phases. “Experience tells us that there are small symptoms that indicate what is happening. The sooner a case is identified, the easier it is for users to recover lost skills, ”says Roberto, a psychologist.

The Jofré Center opens its doors from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 365 days a year, offering the dining room service. “To many it may seem like something complementary, but if it were not for this, artificial testosterone, some of them would not be able to complete their daily meals.” A base camp has been created there that helps these users to carry out different activities in a suitable and optimal climate to achieve the best results. Each case is different and that is why there is a permanent and highly personalized follow-up of the situation that they live in their environment. “Treatments must be harmonized according to the needs of each one and that is why we also like to focus attention on families, which are essential when it comes to redirecting the situation,” says Susana.

Guiding them and getting them to collaborate throughout the process is very important to achieve positive results. “Both overprotective and neglected environments are counterproductive. It is important that they understand the situation and what the affected person needs at those times. We must leave behind the logical wear and tear suffered by such a situation and also the powerlessness that it generates on many occasions in order to be by his side and help, ”says Roberto.

One of the weekly workshops held at the Jofré Center is the radio one. From there, a program is carried out, directed by Antonio Mora, through which different personalities from the present day of Cantabria have passed. From politicians, to singers or journalists. In addition, they themselves carry out monographic spaces in which they can discuss the topics that interest them most. That is the case of Jesus, passionate about painting and who spoke about the work of Vincent Van Gogh. “I am very happy here because I have learned many things and participate in drawing workshops,” he says.

“This center is everything for me,” says Reyes, who helps with the dining room and who from the first day has been comfortable with the rest of the group. This statement is something that all users agree on. “Being mentally ill is hard, but here they treat us as equals and with great affection,” says Patricia.

Enrique, for his part, has already been at the center for six years and assures that he has noticed an important advance working in memory and cognitive activities with the professionals of the center. There is also space for sports and Luis, a user whose main hobby is bodybuilding, assures that the best time for him is in sports activities, like Salvador, who has also prepared a radio program around typical dishes of the region, another of his great passions.

From the center different outings and activities are organized that allow users to continue in contact with society and enjoy their free time. “I have always been to the garden, since I was very little, and here I have been able to do it again,” says María Ángeles proudly.

One of the most active people in the center is Javier Movellán, who has launched the first Users Association in the entire region. “The idea was born after an informative day in La Magdalena. There I saw that there was one in Valencia and look to see if there was something similar in Cantabria. Seeing no, I decided to start the first one. We see how decisions that concern us are made without us having a voice or vote and we would like to be heard. ” The objectives for the future are to ensure that the dependency assessment is carried out by a true specialist. “Currently a physical therapist is responsible for determining how dependent we are. Check if we can carry out the basic daily tasks. I can eat and shower alone, but after that, what? “

Meanwhile, the Jofré Center will continue working so that everyone can improve their quality of life and feel at home and at home.