Predazzi Marco

Marco Predazzi is a doctor who has been working with the elderly for 45 years, describing himself as a “doctor of the old.” His vocation began on April 25, 1969, when, at the age of 16, he visited the “ricovero di mendicità Bellora,” an experience he calls a “historical coincidence” that shaped his entire life.

Although he considers himself a “non-believer, yet deeply religious,” he believes that even lives considered devastated or forgotten can have a purpose. Starting in the 1960s, he committed himself to improving the lives of older adults, leading to the creation of a social secretariat, the first elderly care initiatives, and later the establishment of the “Il Melo” facility in Gallarate. This nonprofit SPA hosts 150 elderly residents and 200 staff members, offering services from daycare to cultural spaces and adult education programs.

Predazzi recognized that people with Alzheimer’s, who may live for many years in a state of “end-of-life” with limited care options, deserve more than traditional nursing homes. This led to the creation of the Alzheimer Village project, expected in Casorate Sempione in 2025. It is based on the principles of “home” and “square”: small houses of 8–10 residents designed to feel and function like real homes, where staff act more like householders, and daily life unfolds naturally.