The SEMG and ‘On Bike Without Age’, together for the mobility of older people and people with disabilities

The third vice president of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG), Dr. Asunción Gracia, and the president of the non-profit organization En Bici Sin Age España (EBSE), Antonio Peña, have signed a collaboration agreement to promote the mobility and social connection of older people and people with disabilities.

The agreement was signed at the Danish Embassy in Spain, since Copenhagen is the place of origin of Cycling Without Agean international movement that uses special tricycles to restore mobility, contact with the outdoors and social interaction to elderly and disabled people. The initiative seeks to combat loneliness and improve the quality of life of these groups.

“Active aging is not a slogan: It is a public health tool“explained Gracia. According to him, initiatives of this type contribute to maintaining functionality, mood, orientation, social relationships and the sense of belonging. “All of that is health, especially in an increasingly aging society,” he added.

The doctor participated in the event on behalf of the president of the SEMG, Pilar Rodríguez Ledo, accompanied by various authorities, including the Danish ambassador to Spain, Michael Braad. After signing the agreement, both organizations highlighted that the objective is to generate a positive impact on the comprehensive health of the most vulnerable people.

Triple commitment

From the SEMG they explained that the alliance is articulated around three lines of action main. The first focuses on promoting training through the development of programs sets aimed at both health sciences professionals and EBSE volunteers, including pilots, companions and managers.

The second line contemplates scientific exchange, in order to study and disseminate the benefits that active aging, contact with the environment and reconnection with the community of the neighborhood or municipality have on health.

Finally, the agreement seeks improve the well-being of elderly and disabled people by promoting tricycle rides adapted as a therapeutic and social tool. These activities aim to combat unwanted loneliness, break routine and enrich leisure time.

“This collaboration will enrich both parties and, above all, patients and users,” Peña stressed. The president of EBSE also highlighted that “uniting the scientific evidence of Family Medicine with the emotional impact of walks is a natural step towards more human health.”

The first joint action has already been carried out with the active participation of the Albacete delegation of this organization in the II Conference of Resident Doctors of SEMG Castilla-La Mancha, held in Lagunas de Ruidera, in the province of Ciudad Real.