The María Cano University Foundation, through its Faculty of Health Sciences, is leading the project “Older Adults and Social Participation in Health: The Experience in Commune 10 of Medellín,” which promotes healthcare and the development of tools for community engagement among people over 60 years of age in the capital of Antioquia, specifically in the La Candelaria sector. Through socio-educational spaces and workshops, including support from students in Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Psychology, community health interventions are being carried out for this population.

Since 2021, professionals and students from María Cano University have been visiting different areas of the city center to work directly with organizations, community action boards, foundations, and the community at large. This ensures the fulfillment of the institution’s social outreach, which is reflected in both its corporate philosophy and the action plans implemented each year. In the second half of 2025, 275 people benefited from these programs, distributed across the San Diego, Bomboná, and Villa Nueva neighborhoods. The majority of these individuals were women, and the program addressed topics such as body awareness, relationships, grief, life stories, psychomotor skills, self-perception and self-esteem, body awareness, interculturality, meaning in life, support networks, and gender roles.

The Vira Foundation was one of the organizations that benefited from the work focused on supporting its social function, centered on care and the pursuit of quality of life so that people can enjoy their old age and see this stage of their lives as a great opportunity to achieve well-being. For this reason, the Foundation presented an award to María Cano University, recognizing the project and the work led by Professor Jhon Freddy Santos Gómez of the Physiotherapy program at the Medellín campus and Professor Gabriel Jaime Saldarriaga Ruiz of the Psychology program.

The institution will continue its commitment to health promotion and disease prevention with a territorial perspective and a differential approach, contributing to local development and seeking better living conditions for the community.

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