Christmas Solidarity Campaign: Get to know Lisbon's cause

The Universidade Católica Portuguesa is once again organising a Christmas Solidarity Campaign at a national level. In Lisbon, the campaign supports the Alcântara Public Bathhouse, as part of the research and university extension project of the Escola de Enfermagem (Lisbon) of the Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, which, since 2014, provides nursing consultations to the vulnerable population in the Alcântara Public Bathhouse through professors, researchers and students.

People find in the Public Bathouse the possibility to take a bath and change into clean clothes, aspects related both to hygiene and personal and social well-being, which are elementary in human intimacy and dignity.  But because there is a great shortage of undergarments in these spaces, we invite the entire academic community this Christmas - under the motto: "Intimacy and Dignity" - to offer underwear, socks, gloves, caps and scarves, for both sexes and all ages.

Leave your donation at one of the following locations:

  • Old Building - in the main atrium, next to Auditorium 1
  • John Paul II University Library Building - in the Chapel
  • CATÓLICA-LISBON Building - in the reception on the 4th floor 

The project of the Escola de Enfermagem

The public bathhouses in Lisbon are municipal resources, aimed at the vulnerable population and managed by the parish councils. Most of them originated in the 1930s. Almost 100 years after their existence, it was important for the researchers of the Escola de Enfermagem (Lisbon) who are part of the research project "Public Bathhouse Nursing" to understand the current users' typology.

With the purpose of characterising the socio-demographic and health profile of the users of the Alcântara Public Bathhouse, the first study was conducted in 2013 and concluded that the typical user was: male (78.6%), single (66.2%), in the active phase (87.5%), living in Alcântara (25.5%) and of Portuguese nationality. Health and economic conditions, loneliness, as well as homelessness (29.7%) seemed to be the reasons for using the PB.

This was followed by two more Diagnoses of the health situation of users, this time of the Arroios Public Bathhouse, in 2018, and in 2020 of the Bathhouses allocated to the Parish Council of Santa Maria Maior, the Public Bathhouses of Alfama and Mouraria. Sanitary and economic conditions, loneliness and homelessness continued to explain the use of those resources. Based on the needs expressed, the Católica Nursing School of Lisbon has been offering, since 2014, a Nursing consultation at the Public Bathhouse of Alcântara.

The researchers' concerns regarding people experiencing homelessness are: families and the experience of parenthood, poverty, social isolation and the pandemic situation of COVID-19.

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