Presenter(s):
Laura Alicia Strugo, ILC, Argentina
Abstract
El Puente, located in the city of Resistencia (Argentina), is a social enterprise providing comprehensive care for the needs of older adults through integrated service devices.
Developed in a region historically reluctant to embrace long-stay residential care, El Puente stands as an innovative, sensitive, and replicable experience. For the past 11 years, it has been offering daytime support to individuals with diverse aging trajectories and their families.
The integration of different service devices allows each participant to follow a personalized path, according to their emerging needs, feeling accompanied and supported while avoiding or delaying institutionalization — which is perceived in the community as a form of abandonment, both by the older adults and their families.
The proposed interdisciplinary interventions are built upon the principles of the Person-Centered Care model, and are supported by non-pharmacological therapies that foster autonomy, enabling each person to inhabit their stage of life with dignity, meaning, and a sense of belonging.
Results are presented on the impact recorded on participants and their families, as well as general guidelines for replicating a model adaptable to different cultures.
Keywords: Social Innovation – Aging – Person-Centered Care
Bio(s):
Laura Strugo is a clinical psychologist specializing in gerontological intervention and management. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Innovation and Solidarity Economy and a Master’s degree in Clinical Neuropsychology. She is the founder and director of El Puente, a comprehensive community-based center for older adults in Resistencia, Argentina. There, she leads an interdisciplinary team focused on the care, stimulation, and rehabilitation of older adults with and without cognitive impairment. Her professional path combines clinical practice, institutional leadership, applied research, and the development of care models grounded in human rights. She promotes innovative approaches to aging, centered on autonomy, social participation, and quality of life.
