Institutional Memory

This is a story that begins in the year 2005 with great enthusiasm and a strong desire to work in a field that has been overlooked by both the public and private sectors. A common interest among the promoters of this project was to change the paradigm that viewed the elderly as passive, inconvenient, and even obsolete. For this reason, we chose the name Adulto Feliz, which signifies an empowered, active adult who is a provider of experiences and knowledge and is respected by society. The founding team was led by Heidi Spitzer Chang, an economist with a Master's in Social Management from PUCP, who graduated with honors for her thesis on active aging of the elderly. Heidi brought together a diverse group of professionals from various specialties and activities, including Marcela Chueca Márquez, a PUCP graduate in Social Assistance and coordinator of the Master's in Social Management at the same university; Krishna Muro Mesones Ponce, with studies in Social Sciences from the National Agrarian University of La Molina (UNALM), a consultant in marketing, communications, and research topics; and Manuela Gordillo, a nurse with extensive experience working at San Felipe Clinic and María Auxiliadora Hospital. The team was enriched by the contributions and commitment of Juan Luis Herrera Miranda, a sociologist from San Marcos, with a Master's in University Teaching and Research and Development Planning; Nora Donayre, an economist with doctoral studies in Environment and Sustainable Development, as well as a Master's in Social Management from PUCP and a Master's in Social Enterprise Management for Innovation and Local Development; María del Rosario Salcedo Chúmbez, a psychologist from Ricardo Palma University, with a Master's in Social Management from PUCP and a researcher specializing in qualitative studies. In 2007, Gisela Fantini Tello, an economist from PUCP with a Master's in Administration from Universidad del Pacífico, joined the team. We have the collaboration of experienced and recognized international advisors in understanding the issues of the elderly. These include Laura Bottini from Argentina, with a Master's in Psychology, and Modesto Chato de los Bueys from Spain, president of the Ibero-American Federation of the Elderly (FIAPAM). Their contribution has been invaluable to our vision that values the experience and potential of the elderly. A Consultative Council was formed, composed of distinguished intellectuals who were themselves seniors at the peak of their production. It was an honor to have the collaboration of Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Francisco Miro Quesada Cantuarias, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard, Julio Cotler Dolberg, Fernando de Szyszlo, and Enrique Zilleri Gibson. They provided valuable input, observations, and recommendations, as well as encouragement for the development of the association. At some point, for reasons beyond the promoters' control, the association's activities were put on hold. During this period, however, we received expressions of encouragement and requests from many citizens to continue with the project. We have continued to pay close attention to and support the concerns of various civil society groups to ensure the recognition of the rights and obligations towards the elderly, supporting causes associated with their active and dignified aging. Today, we are pleased to announce the resumption of activities, reaffirming our commitment to building a favorable environment for a happy old age, especially in this challenging year of 2020. We trust that we will continue to receive personal and institutional support from all those committed to achieving a better quality of life, recognition of dignity, rights, and empowerment of the elderly.