Hundreds of seniors in rural Caravaca benefit from new health and wellbeing initiative
The ‘Cercanos’ programme aims to bring essential services and social activities directly to villages across Caravaca de la Cruz
More than 500 senior citizens living in the outlying villages of Caravaca de la Cruz are taking part in the ‘Cercanos’ programme, a new initiative aimed at making life easier for older people in rural areas by bringing them closer to services that support their health, emotional wellbeing and personal independence.
Spearheaded by the Region of Murcia government, this first edition has received funding of €132,745 and has already reached all 14 villages in Caravaca.
Workshops, home visits and social activities are helping participants feel more connected and better cared for, without the need to travel into town.
Mayor José Francisco García said both residents and the Council were “very pleased” with how the initiative is going.
“The workshops have been a great incentive to get out of the house, socialise, and at the same time receive services related to health, wellbeing and active ageing,” he explained.“Basic services like podiatry, which previously required travel to the town centre, are now also being brought directly to people’s homes.”
Councillor for Social Policy, Families, and Equality, Conchita Ruiz, added that this kind of care “avoids unnecessary travel, promotes independence and helps combat unwanted loneliness”.
The senior participants themselves have praised the programme for helping them share experiences, break from daily routines and feel part of an active community. The activities are designed to encourage healthy habits and independence, allowing seniors to remain in their homes for as long as possible.
Ms Ruiz added that one of the goals is to ensure that “older people living in rural areas have access to quality services on equal terms”.
The ‘Cercanos’ programme is open to the 1,200 residents aged over 65 who live in the outlying districts of Caravaca. It offers a wide range of activities including functional rehabilitation, psychological support, cognitive exercises, self-care workshops, senior fitness sessions and occupational activities.At the moment, workshops are running in La Almudema, Archivel, Barranda, La Encarnación, El Moralejo and Los Royos, with plans to reach even more remote communities in the very near future.
Some of the most popular sessions are group physiotherapy classes, which encourage mobility and social interaction, and healthy lunch gatherings which promote a balanced diet. Psychology and self-esteem workshops are also helping improve emotional wellbeing, while intergenerational activities aim to bring older and younger residents together to share experiences and values.
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Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and shares boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
