With about forty guests with medium to severe disabilities and over one hundred employees, the Miralago Institute is one of the pieces that make Brissago unique at Ticino level in the social and health field. Each municipality has its own home for the elderly, some are home to clinics and care facilities, but probably no one has a multifaceted mosaic like that of Brissago, formed, in addition to Casa San Giorgio, the La Motta Institute, the Hildebrand Clinic and, precisely, the Miralago Institute.
Mayor Ponti: “The Importance of Foundations”
This point is highlighted by the mayor, Roberto Ponti, who recently joined the Rinaldi Foundation, chaired by Diego Erba, of which the Miralago is an emanation. “It is a source of pride – he points out – to be able to host high-quality health and social facilities in our municipality. In addition to their important role as caregivers, these institutions provide skilled jobs and provide a vital public service within the cantonal social and health network. And this is thanks to those who, in the past, have decided to donate capital for their creation.”
The mayor therefore highlights the importance of foundations, such as the one established in 1962 by Felice and Esterina Rinaldi in memory of their parents, Ireneo and Giovanna, with the aim of creating ‘a home for the care and education of children affected by cerebral palsy and the handicapped, with particular regard to children from needy families’.
The history of Miralago
The Miralago Institute started its activity in 1975, welcoming the first users, children for whom a protected and multidisciplinary structure was necessary. A decade later, the building was built, which now includes 5 apartments where users find themselves in a family unit, 2 swimming pools (one for leisure and one for therapeutic purposes), a multi-purpose room – for gymnastics, games, parties and meetings with families – the infirmary and the administrative offices with the Directorate.
In the following years, the Institute was further expanded with the establishment of employment, work and activity spaces for users, and in 2022 the creation of the new Piazzetta building, which accommodates ten additional beds – accompanying users in the natural course of their lives, from childhood to adulthood, gradually changing its educational and accompanying approach –.
Director Romanens: “We want to be a home”
“The Miralago – explains the director Anna Romanens, who on 1 December, after 4 years, will leave Jimmy Storni to run the Istituto Provvida Madre in Balerna – wants to be the home in which users live and age. Some guests arrived in the seventies, when the Miralago opened its doors, and today they are still here. The youngest user is 23 years old, the oldest guest is almost 80 years old. In short, there is a meeting between the various generations which is a very enriching exchange. But it also requires us to manage guests in old age, who develop diseases and health needs related to ageing. Users who live at the Miralago will not be transferred to the elderly home, they will remain in the Institute. Our mission is to ensure the highest quality of life and dignity at all times of life, from youth to old age to the last breath.”
Deputy Mayor Branchini: “The collaboration between the Institute and the Municipality”
The deputy mayor Fabio Branchini, head of the Dicastery of Sociality, underlines the excellent relations between the Miralago and the Municipality: "It is certainly positive also from the economic and employment profile to have such a structure in Brissago", he says. Our municipality has a high concentration of institutes which, in addition to employing hundreds of people, also feed local trade and trade in neighbouring municipalities. But that's not all: in collaboration with my colleague Veronica Marcacci Rossi, we are fine-tuning the agreement with Miralago for the use of outdoor spaces and the Solarium room by elementary school students. We will also have the opportunity to use the local Snoezelen, the multisensory room. Visiting the Institute’s website gives an insight into its function. I am sure it will be enriching for our boys to confront those who, in life, have been less fortunate than them. A further collaboration has recently been put in place with the help of the treating staff, which we will never thank enough, and is to allow the guests of the Miralago to carry out some simple administrative tasks on behalf of the Municipality, such as stuffing material intended for the population. Seeing their commitment and their smile, when you come to greet them, fills your heart.”
Branchini takes this opportunity to thank the Board of Trustees, hoping to be able to further intensify the collaborations, and the Director, who, as mentioned, will soon give way to Jimmy Storni.
The Director: “Our mission is above all educational”
Anna Romanens trained in curative pedagogy in French-speaking Switzerland and has experience abroad, including 4 years in Nicaragua in the field of international cooperation. He explained that the Miralago was aimed at a user close to that of Motta, an institute with which he collaborated with pleasure, as with all the facilities in Brissago (the Hildebrand Clinic and the Casa San Giorgio). The collaboration and comparison with the social and health facilities of Brissago is of great enrichment and really functional.
“Our mission – he says – is not limited to care, but is above all educational: in this sense, there is an annual schedule of activities ranging from bike rides on the Piano di Magadino, to various workshops such as home economy, decorations, calumet and many others. Since this year, Miralago has also been contributing to some communications for the citizens of Brissago; some users go to the stationery and perform this task with great pleasure. In the apartments, on the other hand, users learn to share daily life with their companions by developing their autonomy. In addition, the Institute will have the opportunity to hear the voices of the students of the primary schools of Brissago because in its heights, it will welcome the school in the woods. This is an opportunity to network with the local area to get closer to the reality of Brissago and share spaces that are little used by our users. We look forward to this project starting.”
For the Institute to function properly, concludes the Director, ‘we can count on a real team composed of multiple professional figures such as educators, social workers, nurses, a doctor, care assistants, therapists (ergotherapy and physiotherapy) who are dedicated to users every day, 365 days a year; without forgetting the support teams such as the staff of the general services (cleaning, laundry, kitchen, maintenance and transport) and the administrative one. The Miralago Institute is also a training company and every year welcomes students, apprentices and young practitioners in the therapeutic, educational and social fields.”