- The ‘Casa Navàs i Salut’ project allows elderly people from residences and day centres to enjoy this modernist jewel and a concert of habaneras
Reus, November 2024 — A total of 320 elderly people from different residences and daycare centres in Baix Camp and Priorat are visiting Casa Navàs in Reus this year, free of charge, thanks to the involvement of Fundació ‘la Caixa’ through CaixaBank. The experience includes a guided tour on the main floor, led by one of the actors of the house, who plays a period character, and a concert of habaneras (traditional Catalan sailor’s music) in the textile shop by the group Les Veus de Reus.
Several studies show that creating art or consuming culture, whether as a visitor to a museum or just by attending a concert, is beneficial for mental health, especially in the elderly. Based on this premise, Casa Navàs promoted the project ‘Casa Navàs i salut’ (Casa Navàs and health), aimed at users of the residences and daycare centres in Baix Camp and Priorat, to invite them to get to know the modernist building.
The visits, aimed at people who can climb stairs and move around inside the house, have been adapted to the needs of the elderly, who, along the route, have places where they can sit in every room. The experience begins inside the Casa Navàs, where a modernist character shows them this jewel designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, and ends in the old textile shop, where the group Les Veus de Reus offers them a concert of habaneras.
A total of 320 elderly people from 12 different centres have signed up for this experience, and 18 sessions have been scheduled for 13 June and 20 and 21 November. The residences and daycare centres involved in the project were: Residència Ítaca Fortuny (Reus), Residència Ballesol (Reus), Residència Colisée Ciutat de Reus, Residencia Ítaca Reus, Residencia Passeig Prim (Reus), Residència l’Onada de Riudoms, Associació d’Alzheimer de Reus i Baix Camp, Centre de dia Les Orenetes (Cambrils), Residència Colisée Cambrils, Natura Residencial (Reus), Residència d’avis Marià Fortuny in Reus, and Residència Les Vinyes (Falset).
Casa Navàs would like to give special thanks for the involvement of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation in bringing this initiative forward, which fits in with the institution’s commitment to making culture and heritage accessible to all citizens.
Sílvia Sagalà, director of Casa Navàs, remarked on the satisfaction of the elderly during the first visits and wanted to emphasise that ‘you only had to see the eyes and smiles of the elderly; some told us that it had been a long time since they had experienced such a happy day; others thanked us for making such a special evening possible; and there were those who were moved, and simply hugged us. All of them have encouraged us to repeat this initiative’.
Through CaixaBank’s extensive branch network, the largest in Spain, professionals can detect the most urgent and close needs to each territory, and channel the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation’s aid aimed at responding to these needs. In 2023, they supported almost 5,850 projects by more than 5,300 social organisations.
