Our Ramon y Cajal, one of the fathers of neuroscience, encouraged the forest of neurons to be shaken, „vibrating with new emotions and planting in them noble and lofty concerns.” His followers, neuroscientists and hygienists involved in the treatment of neurological diseases, took him at his word, shaking their neurons to advance towards the brain, the last frontier of knowledge, to cure it or at least rid it of disease.
As indicated by the Institute of Scientific Medical Studies (Inezmi), if one in four people in Spain will suffer from mental illness throughout their life, we are talking about one of the most complex fields, but very useful for society. extended to the family environment and the tendency to grow up in times of crisis or uncertainty. In fact, Inesme asserts that these types of diseases cause 40% of chronic illnesses and 30% of disabilities.
Individual and collective well-being
Understanding its root causes, diagnosing it accurately, developing effective treatments, and raising awareness in society represent an investment in collective well-being. This is precisely what it means Neurological FoundationA non-profit organization created in 2006 by healthcare professionals who „want to do more for well-being and make new scientific advances available as soon as possible to the people who need them most,” explains organization manager Sara Garrido.
At first they specialized in cognitive stimulation programs and support for family members, then focused on R&D&i improving diagnosis and treatment. We are talking about an evolution in real time, which is why special digitization is gaining more importance in the healthcare world.
Understanding its root causes, diagnosing it accurately, developing effective treatments and raising awareness in society is an investment in collective well-being.
The mission to improve the quality of life for patients, caregivers and family members as much as possible has not changed. „We want to provide them with extensive support and the culmination of years of research, discovery and passion for neuroscience. We strive to work as a union between science, technology and human security for everyday solutions. That is our commitment and belief in the fight against these diseases,” That’s why the foundation also prioritizes technical training for caregivers and its own volunteers in helping families, says Garrido.
In this sense, it teaches courses on digital health tools and neurotechnologies with accessible content that prevents caregivers from getting lost when finding and managing the digital solutions their case requires. For example, nerve stimulation applications or to monitor motor activity and sleep. The aim of the courses is important: to improve patients’ independence – thus reducing the pressure on their carers – and to avoid institutionalization as much as possible.
Thanks to the support of the EU-NextGenerationEU funded Recovery, Transformation and Resilience programme, the Foundation has launched another ambitious project: a dynamic platform that collects, organizes and accesses thousands of digital solutions available to patients. .
What diseases are we talking about?
As Garrido explains, „they are particularly relevant because of their severity, their prevalence or orphan diseases that do not have good treatments today”, such as severe, neurodegenerative, rare genetic or psychiatric pathologies. It ranges from Alzheimer’s or Asperger’s in adults to bipolar disorder, which can become as common illnesses as dysfunctional or anxiety-depressive symptoms.
The Foundation works simultaneously on two levels, directly through training and community programs at the street level, especially in underserved areas such as rural areas, and indirectly by disseminating content to patients, families or healthcare professionals.
They can act as a showcase of research and treatment trends, always in plain language, without technologies. For example, the relationship between prolonged or excessive consumption of cannabis and a specific type of mental illness. Causes and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, with different approaches to its treatment after witnessing suffering or an extreme situation. Or depression seen from a scientific point of view, or the same, human, because it focuses on the „noble and higher concern” that Ramón y Cajal would say cures it.
Vadimegam, Digital Health Vadimegam
It is the name of a recently launched Neuroscience Foundation project. It integrates technology with the human in its mission to help patients and families. How to reach everyone in the most efficient manner, with accurate information about the right tool needed for each case? The answer is a digital platform, Vadimecum—like a Vadimecum, but with DI for digital—designed, developed, and built by the Neuroscience Foundation to gather thousands of training resources and technologies. and reduce the digital divide.
In fact, they do not limit themselves to neurological diseases or mental disorders. In principle this was the case, but the Foundation decided to extend coverage to general health as mental disorders were often linked to other physical illnesses. With the World Health Organization estimating that there are more than 350,000 digital health technologies in the world, there was a need for a platform like this to organize and organize amid the boom in remote services. and rushes up.
For example applications Mobile phones and websites with cognitive stimulation activities and symptom monitoring, devices that monitor health parameters – pulse, blood pressure, temperature etc. Or turn on the house lights.