More than 200 professionals and representatives for older adults attended the delivery of the 2nd Edition of SENDA Awards

SENDA Group held the event of delivery of awards of the 2nd Edition of its Awards in Hotel Intercontinental in Madrid. More than 200 professionals and businessmen of the field, as well as representatives of the Public Administration, associations and universities for older adults attended the meeting. The event, presented by the journalist and writer Teresa Viejo, was chaired by general secretary of Social Policy and Policy on Consumption, Isabel Martínez, who thanked SENDA Group its commitment with the improvement of the quality of life of older adults and congratulated the people and institutions awarded in this edition.

SEE IMAGE GALLERY [SENDA Awards 2011]

Madrid, 8th June 2011.- SENDA Group celebrated last year the 10th anniversary of the magazine SENDA para gente activa and the first edition of its awards. “Since that day until now, this time has been marked by a difficult economic and financial situation that SENDA Group has lived with lot of intensity, keeping the bet for quality information”, managing director of SENDA Group, Matilde Pelegrí, pointed out.

The magazine SENDA para gente activa has renewed its design and has included new contents, keeping the characteristics that turn it into a news referent for older adults. “However, if something has defined this year is the consolidation of BALANCE de la dependencia, a head newspaper for businessmen and professionals of the field of attention to dependence and civil service”, Pelegrí affirmed. Moreover, SENDA Group has bet for being a meeting point of the field with the organization of publishing advice and forums. Online editions have also a place, as well as weekly electronic bulletins of both publications.  

“Our most recent project is the radio, a type of media that is close and quite respected by older adults. The program Palabras mayores is broadcasted everyday, from 19:00 hours to 20:00 hours, in 89.7 FM. Social networks and new offers of information of the field are the most immediate challenges for the future”, the manager of SENDA Group pointed out.

The delivery of the 2nd Edition of SENDA Awards took place then. These awards recognize the effort of institutions, companies and professionals that try very hard to improve the quality of life of older people and dependents, as well as to encourage personal autonomy and active ageing.

• Scientist Margarita Salas won the SENDA Award to the Activer Senior, which was given by Matilde Pelegrí, general manager of SENDA Group.
• The general manager of Imserso, Purificación Causapié, picked the SENDA Institutional Award to the IMSERSO Vacation Programme in its 25th anniversary, which was given by Higinio Raventós, president of Edad&Vida Foundation.
• The Spanish Confederation of Senior Organizations (CEOMA) won the SENDA Award to Associative Movement, which was picked by its president, José Luis Méler. Javier Sánchez, Marketing Director of CARE Group, gave the award.
   
•  SENDA Award to the University World was for the Spanish National Association of University Programmes for Older Adults (AEPUM). It was picked by its president Concha Bru and was given by Juan Sitges, director of Caser Foundation for Dependency.
• Caritas Spain won the SENDA Award to Social Responsibility. It was picked by its president, Rafael del Río, and was given by César Antón, counselor of Family and Equal Opportunities in the Spanish Autonomous Region Castilla y León.
• SENDA gave the Award to the Professional of the Field to the social worker María Auxiliadora Noda Morales, which was given by Ana Isabel Lima, president of the General Council of Social Working. Aurelio Pastor, regional coordinator of Transplants in the Canary Islands, picked the award on behalf of Ana Isabel Lima.
• SENDA Award to the Innovative Initiative was given to the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia (IBV) and the Spanish Democratic Union of Pensioners and Retired people (UDP). Pedro Vera Luna, director of IBV, and Paca Tricio, general manager of UDP, picked the award, which was given by Jesús Terciado, president of the Spanish Confederation of small and medium-sized enterprises (CEPYME).
• Ignacio Fernández-Cid, president of Casablanca Group, was given the SENDA Award to the Residential Group by José Alberto Echevarría, president of the Business Federation of Dependency (FED).
• The Jury Special Award was for the Queen Sofia Foundation and the Pascual Maragall Foundation. Isabel Martínez, secretary-general of Social and Consumption Policy, gave the Award to Arturo Coello, secretary of Queen Sofia Foundation, and Cristina Maragall, daughter of the Catalan politician.

Afterwards, Isabel Martínez stated during the closing of the event that the Government “not only talk about the needs of older adults, but also offers answers to their worries”. In this sense, the secretary-general of Social and Consumption Policy underlined the work of the executive with regard to dependence and stressed the significance of this Act, “which has laid the foundations of a new right of citizens, thanks to which more than 700,000 people already received benefits and services”.
 
On the other hand, Martínez reminded the different initiatives that, from the Department of Health and Social Policy, promote active ageing, with the aim of “breathing new life into the years” and has highlighted the importance of the Holiday Programme for the Elderly, throughout its 25 years since it came into force, what has shown a very positive effect, both on older adults and on the employment of the area.

The 2nd Edition of SENDA Awards count on the highest representatives of the residential groups, Public Administration, associations and universities for older adults, employers’ organizations, foundations, companies and entities of the field. Among those present on the event  were: Antonio Balbontín, deputy director-general of Planning,  Organization and Assessment of Imserso; Milagros Marcos, manager of Social Services in Castilla y León; Miguel Ángel García, general-director of Coordination of Dependence in the Community of Madrid; María José Castro Nieto, general-director of Older Adults in Junta of Andalusia; Florencio Martín Tejedor, general-director of Older Adults in the citycouncil of Madrid; Jorge Guarner, president of AESTE; José Ignacio Santaolalla, president of LARES Federation; Juan Antonio González, executive director of Personalia, ONCE Group.

Care and Caser Residencial, two groups of the field related to attention to dependency located in several autonomous regions in Spain, are the sponsors of the 2nd Edition of SENDA Awards.

About SENDA Group
SENDA Group is the first platform of mass media that is specialized on information for the target senior. In May 2000, it launched the magazine SENDA para gente activa, a monthly publication addressed to those people who are over 50 years old. In March 2010, the newspaper Balance de la dependencia, which is the leader of information addressed to professionals and businessmen of the field related to attention to dependency and civil service, was born. Both have its respective webpages: www.sendasenior.com and www.balancedeladependencia.com

For further information:
prensa@planbcomunicacion.com
Plan B Comunicación
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