Aisla Lombardia, in the square for contribution and support to patients and caregivers

With the aim of defending the rights of people with disabilities and caregivers, the Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Como, Cremona, Sondrio and Varese sections of Aisla, the Italian Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, join the protest called by Ledha (League for the rights of people with disabilities) and Fand (Italian Diabetes Association) which will be held in Milan tomorrow 16 April, at 11 am in Piazza Duca D'Aosta, in front of the Lombardy Regional Council. To ensure maximum safety for the participants – we read in a note – an ambulance equipped with medical personnel will be present. Aisla, recommending people with ALS to stay at home in order to avoid potential high risks, invites and encourages its members, volunteers, supporters and all citizens to join this important demonstration in order to give voice to ALS sufferers.

After months of intense dialogues and requests – explains Aisla – tomorrow's demonstration is a choral demonstration which brings together more than 30 Lombard associations who have tried and hoped until the end to avoid forcing people with disabilities and their families to demonstrate in square. The underlying issue concerns the B1 and B2 measures for very serious and serious disabilities, supported by the National Fund for non-self-sufficiency and by regional funds: a support of extreme importance for families who are already severely tested by the disability with which they live. Despite the first repentance, which averted the significant reduction in contributions that the Regional Council had decided unanimously at the end of December, to date there are still no concrete answers to resolve the problem as a whole. It is essential that the provision of the care allowance is ensured until May 2025, i.e. for all 12 monthly payments which in Lombardy start every year from the month of June, but the current amendment only ensures the contributions until the end of the current year.

The most critical situation – continues the note – concerns those who find themselves in an aggravated condition and run the risk of being excluded from measure B1, due to the waiting lists established by the Lombardy Region, which claims to not have sufficient funds. This situation is “unacceptable – says Aisla – and requires priority action, especially for those who find themselves in the so-called condition of vital dependency. We are talking about a measure that concerns families with serious disabilities and it is clear that the waiting lists do not should be tolerated for no one. Among these, there is a category of people who are in an extreme condition, the so-called vital dependence. This circumstance is crucial for their survival – ensure that these families receive the necessary support, without delays or complications.”