Social challenges almost always become a trigger for actions that seek to respond and provide solutions to the problems that arise in each historical moment. Dr. ÁNGELA MARÍA VALDES BERNAL, a woman of deep spirituality, a faithful follower of the writings of Pope Saint John Paul II, allowed herself to be deeply challenged by the ‘letter to the elders’ written in 1999. Like the Pope, she reflected on the reality of an aging population and the issues with loneliness, illness, immobility and abandonment.
The awareness generated around the situations that Older Adults experience became the reasons for Dr. Ángela to delve deeper into these aspects in a more academic way. Starting a master’s degree in Social Gerontology, the entire academic heritage allowed her to give shape to a dream that she had had in her heart for a long time: Create a Foundation, where gerontological knowledge would be disseminated and work would be done to improve the living conditions of Seniors in vulnerable situations.
This dream came true in 2017, taking the name of “AMA 34 Aging with Dignity Foundation”, a non-profit Civil Association. This project has embodied in its name the imperative that energized its creation, “AMA” to deeply love the Elderly without judging their past. AMA 34 takes a merciful view of the elderly, discovering their capacities and
potentials, recognizing that they have all contributed to society. Each Elderly Adult has the ability to continue to grow creativity, intellectually and emotionally.
The symbology of numbers also accompanied the process of giving a name to this dream. The number 3 represents the integration of body, mind and spirit and understanding that holistic interventions must be carried out to improve the quality of life of the Elderly. The number 4, in turn, refers to the pillars that have been proposed internationally to achieve active aging: Functionality, Participation, Autonomy and Security.
And of course, Aging with Dignity is the culmination of this entire project, understanding that adding years to our lives is not a problem, but a triumph of humanity. Old age is no longer about simply surviving but that work must be done to reach old age while being functional and active. Because as Dr. Ángela highlighted “everyone chooses how to age.”. Aging with dignity is a process of awareness that today’s decisions will determine life tomorrow, hence the need to take care of oneself in youth and adulthood with healthy eating habits, physical activity, and reducing consumption of alcoholic beverages among other things so that life as an older person can be lived to the fullest and not in illness and dependency.
By giving legal life to her dream, Dr. Ángela began the arduous work of bringing gerontological knowledge to different forums, through conferences, in private and public auditoriums, raising awareness about the challenge of aging with quality of life and about the urgency to accompany older adults in a respectful, loving manner and recognizing their dignity as subjects of rights. In addition to this, she advised geriatric institutions with limited
resources, offering training to health professionals, family members and caregivers, on aging and appropriate ways to care for older adults.
Dr. Ángela’s life was one of dedication and service to those most in need, perhaps she fulfilled her mission on earth early, as she always did in each of her activities and sadly at 58 years old she passed away suddenly. We have the certainty that she arrived before God with hands full of good works, kindness and love. She left us the great challenge of continuing her legacy. According to her last wishes, the Foundation has been carrying out interventions in rural, indigenous communities.
Following her instructions, we made our way to the community of El Cedral, in the Municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas and today we support the Elderly Adults of this ejido by visiting regularly, listening, strengthening social networks through meetings, games, music and dance. The seed sown by Dr. Ángela fell on rich soil and today following her legacy, we are certain that she guides our actions as we work day by day to dignify old age. The “AMA” imperative will always mobilize all of our efforts for the Foundation.
