ASSMCA launches emotional support program for the elderly

Dr. Catherine Oliver Franco, head of the Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Administration

By The Star Staff

Dr. Catherine Oliver Franco, the head of the Administration for Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services (ASSMCA by its initials in Spanish), announced on Monday the launch of the “Huella Viva” (Living Footprint) program, a new and hopeful initiative attached to the PAS Line that seeks to comprehensively address the emotional needs of older adults in Puerto Rico.

“Every line of expression tells a story. And every story deserves to be heard, accompanied, and valued,” Oliver Franco said in a written statement. “‘Huella Viva’ is more than a program: it is an act of justice and deep respect for those who have given us so much.”

“Huella Viva” was born from the deep recognition that the aging process, although full of wisdom and invaluable contributions, can also be accompanied by painful silences, unexpressed emotions and emotional burdens that deserve to be addressed promptly and empathetically.

The initiative seeks to be a safe, empathetic and therapeutic space, where older people can reconnect with themselves and recognize that they are worthy, receive psychosocial support, and discover that even at this stage of life it is possible to heal, reconnect and smile.

The program will offer services such as orientation, relief sessions, counseling, referrals, clinical follow-up, and psychoeducational workshops that promote self-care, self-esteem, a sense of purpose, and the management of emotions, grief, anxiety, stress, and even social isolation. Art will be integrated as a tool for expression and healing, allowing participants to connect with their inner self and child in creative and restorative ways.

Interventions will be delivered individually, in groups and in families, in day centers, senior homes, and directly in communities through house-to-house visits. The program will be present in the 78 municipalities, distributed among 12 regions, and will be under the aegis of the clinical team and mental health facilitators of the PAS Line.