About

Ingema is a non-profit organisation dedicated to generating knowledge in the field of the elderly and the disabled. Ingema originated from the MATIA Foundation, a private non-profit-making entity that has been rendering socio-health services to the elderly and the disabled since 1888. INGEMA is part of the Basque Science and Technology Network, as a Health Research Unit.

The Ingema Foundation, in conjunction with the Matia Foundation, is currently involved in the Ageing Innovation Cluster, which was promoted by both foundations in 2009 and aims to become the most qualified European point of reference in the field of ageing. This far-reaching project covers problems related to ageing in multiple areas and from various perspectives. Its main goal is to increase the well-being of the elderly, whilst striving to ensure that these individuals feel personally fulfilled. In order to achieve this, the Ageing Innovation Cluster comprises four units, including INGEMA.

Mission and objectives:

• To generate knowledgeenabling the maximization of everything that helps improving the conditions and quality of life of the elderly and the disabled.
• To apply this knowledge both to improve the existing processes and to generate new economic scenario, which favours the prevention, delays the appearance of disabilities and promotes the integration of these individuals into society.

A multidisciplinary team

INGEMA Foundation is formed by a team of highly qualified and dedicated professionals with wide experience in Spanish and European research projects. Its interdisciplinary team is comprised of qualified professionals including geriatricians, neurologists, neuropsychologists, doctors, sociologists and pharmacists, all of whom are highly experienced in clinical training and research.

We aim to focus on four main areas:

• 
  The importance of lifestyles in the healthy ageing. For example: Effect of diet, physical activity and cognitive stimulation to delay the onset of some diseases (dementia or Alzheimer) and to maintain the autonomy.
• To enhance cognitive functions and learning in older people. To characterize and evaluate the serious cognitive impairment and to study in which ways the daily activities help keeping active.
• To study the subjective and psychosocial variables in the process growing older. The study of the influence of emotions on the frailty and dependency of older people.
• New care models/Housing. To design new non-institutionalised care models for the elderly with a self-centred care model.

INGEMA Foundation has received numerous awards for its research:

• 2009 Beltrán Baguena Award for the best article published in the Spanish Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology (“Revista Española de Geriatría y Gerontologia”) in the Social and Behavioural Sciences Area
  Discrimination using cognitive markers of mild cognitive deterioration vs. normal ageing.
• 2009 Jaime Echarri de Zahartzaroa Award for the best communication poster in the Social and Behavioural Sciences Area - Autonomous Region of the Basque Country.
  Functional evaluation and yield in neuropsychological tests: differences associated with cognitive impairment.
• 2009 Extraordinary Doctorate Award from the University of Santiago de Compostela’s Faculty of Psychology
  The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon in ageing. Influence of vocabulary, working memory and processing speed.
• Subjective Dimensions of Ageing
  IMSERSO-Infanta Cristina Award for Social Studies and Research in 2008
• 2007 Research Award from the Ramón Areces Foundation and the Colegio de Huérfanos de Hacienda Foundation
  Severe cognitive impairment: The forgotten ones
• Obra Social Caja Madrid Award for the best Social Research in 2005
  Donostia Longitudinal Study on Alzheimer’s disease: effectiveness of non-pharmacological therapies.