In this edition, Ángel Val Pradilla, former director of the Aragonese Institute of Social Services, was recognized in the Professional Merit category, while Manuel Siurana Roglán received the Personal Achievement Award for his tireless work researching, preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Valderrobres and the Matarraña region.
The Social Commitment category went to rural doctor Antonio Ramón Borraz Ariño, in recognition of a life devoted to public service and solidarity with the most vulnerable groups. Meanwhile, the Association of Relatives of People with Alzheimer’s (Afedaz) received the Outstanding Organization Award for its work with older people, establishing itself as a regional benchmark that has supported patients with dementia and their families since 1992.
RECOGNITION FOR THOSE WHO CARE FOR OLDER PEOPLE
The regional minister for Deregulation, Family and Social Welfare, Alejandro Nolasco, said that “it is only right to recognize the work of those who care for all older people.” He said this support would be promoted by the Directorate-General for Older People through the senior citizens’ helpline, the guide on preventing abuse and senior centers, which he described as “a very important driving force” enabling older people to remain in their towns despite their advanced age.
Nolasco also highlighted his department’s creation of 150 new residential care places. “We are pleased, and I hope the award winners feel honored and see their careers recognized,” he concluded.
Ariza also stressed the situation in rural areas, where the population is aging and has access to fewer services. For this reason, they have launched various courses bringing young and older people together, as well as senior centers, “a pilot project” that they hope to extend to more municipalities in 2027.
The director-general for Older People, Máximo Ariza, took a similar view, advocating active aging, which they aim to promote through various measures, such as a strategy against unwanted loneliness and a guide on how to respond to abuse.
The former director of the Aragonese Institute of Social Services, Ángel Val Pradilla, expressed his happiness at receiving the award. He said that this sector needs institutional support, and in his view, the institutions have been responding since the previous legislature, when “the foundations were laid for addressing older people, and especially people with disabilities, in a different way.”
