NAGUSI CLOSED ITS 12TH EDITION
FOLLOWING A GREAT PUBLIC TURNOUT
Sunday September 28 saw Bilbao Exhibition Centre close the 12th edition of NAGUSI, Leisure, Services and Activities Fair for the Elderly, with a "positive" balance thanks to the great public turnout.
NAGUSI 2008 drew a total of 93,000 visitors, largely from Bizkaia. This figure confirmed, once more, the public interest and appreciation of this Fair, a meeting point to exchange and receive advice from institutions and public and private bodies related to the elderly, where wide-ranging information on specific services, products and technology is put at their fingertips so as to respond to a variety of demands and, in other words, foster well-being and quality of living.
Exhibition Hall 1 of the BEC welcomed a public who were largely elderly, but also caught the interest of a significant number of family members, carers and professionals linked with various aspects of care work, both public and private.
NAGUSI 2008 had a total of 62 stands, among which you could find public institutions, such as the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the City Councils of Bilbao and Barakaldo, and also associations, private businesses and the media.
The exhibitors presented a wide assortment covering health, leisure and specific services for the elderly. The items on offer included home help, social assistance and healthcare, tourism, global communication and telephone operators, energy supply, technology promotion, fair trade, residence management companies, day centres, technical aids, health and beauty products and the media, among others.
The exhibitors judged the balance of the fair as "positive" and declared themselves "very satisfied" with the participation of the public who visited the numerous activities.
AN ACTIVE FAIR
Visitors responded to the Fair’s slogan, "Experience is your best move, make it!", taking an active part in a wide-ranging bill of multidisciplinary activities that the organisers had designed to promote a healthy old age and active living.
One of the activities that stood out in the extended and varied programme was the hike to Santa Águeda, held on Friday morning. This event was organised by the BBK, the sponsor of NAGUSI.
Informative events, debates, lectures and talks on current events attracted the interest of numerous visitors, as did the practical workshops "Active senior citizens", "Sleep and its disorders as we get older", "Caring for the Carers", the film, "So, who are you?" and the lectures "Health and the meaning of life for the elderly" and "The Law of Pension Supplements". The public was also especially interested in the Wii-Fit, the workshops on laughter therapy and memory techniques, the courses on cognitive stimulation for those suffering from degenerative diseases, and advice on lifetime mortgages, among others.
Other activities that were well received by the public were the workshops on painting, occupational therapy, memory and keep-fit, as well as diverse courses on digital photography and the internet, exhibitions, musical performances, games, contests, choirs and ballroom dancing, among the abundance of amusements and entertainment in the programme of events for NAGUSI 2008.
The Councillor for Social Action from the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Juan Mª Aburto, inaugurated the Fair accompanied by the Mayor of Barakaldo, Tontxu Rodríguez, the Councillor for Social Action from the Bilbao City Council, Ricardo Barkala, the Director of Social Welfare in the Basque Government, Elena Aiarza and the General Director of Administration and Projects in the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Marta Barco, among other authorities.
