This week an audit was carried out by the Spanish New Health foundation, within the framework of the process of recognition of Cartago as a Compassionate City, an initiative launched in October 2022 with the leadership of the Partir con Dignidad Foundation (FPCD) and Coopenae.
With the technical advice of New Health and under the “All With You” methodology, the “Cartago con Vos”, Compassionate City project aims to address the aging of the Costa Rican population by creating a community united by the vocation to care, with the ultimate goal of make Costa Rica the first compassionate country in the world.
The New Health Foundation
The accreditation of Cartago as a Compassionate City has been carried out by an audit team from the New Health Foundation, an organization to which a detailed report was presented at the beginning of October that includes evidence and measurements of the impact of the work carried out in aspects such as governance, awarenes, training, community intervention and communication, among other parameters.Based on the extensive report, the Spanish auditors, Silvia Librada and Isabel DomadoNortes, subjected the delegates of the project’s leading organizations, as well as key entities that have supported the initiative, to a thorough examination for four and a half hours.
Participating on behalf of the FPCD were its founder Ernesto Picado, the executive director, Randall Otárola, Patricia León, member of the Administrative Board, and the community promoter Cristina Ulloa.
Otto Peraza, manager of Organizational Development, participated in Coopenae; Nazira Burgos, manager of Institutional Relations and Sustainability; Gustavo Ulloa, head of Sustainability, and the institutional journalist Paola Hernández.
For the Ministry of Health, there was the specialist Flor Murillo, one of those responsible for developing the National Strategy for Healthy Aging (2022-2026) and for the CaminemosJuntos Association (ASCAJU), a key agent of the Cartago Compasivo project, its executive director, LigiaTrejos.
Awareness, training and Community Intervention
For Cartago to be recognized as a Compassionate City, two levels must be satisfactorily met: one for Awareness and Training, and another for Community Intervention.
If accreditation is obtained, the central canton of Cartago will be the first Compassionate City in Costa Rica, North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
After the four and a half hour virtual meeting, Silvia Librada explained that in the coming days they will send their evaluation, in which they will highlight the strengths, verify that the actions agreed in the manuals and protocols have been fully developed, and make recommendations. “Today marks a milestone, it is a historic day because we have reviewed 18 months of work by an enthusiastic and committed team,” commented the expert.
The aging of the population is one of the main challenges facing the country. According to statistics, it is the segment that is growing the most in Costa Rica and in 2050 it will represent a fifth of the inhabitants. Compassionate Cities are a response to this aging population and the shortcomings of older adults from the most vulnerable groups.
International Palliative Care Day
This year, International Palliative Care Day – which is commemorated on October 14 in Older Adults’ Month – was convened internationally under the motto Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care.
