The Foundation was founded in 2007 by two founding partners from a public-private synergy.

A public partner: theCompany Services to the Person (ASP) Golgi Redaelli of Milan which manages three institutes for the elderly (Golgi of Abbiategrasso, Redaelli of Milan, Redaelli of Vimodrone) with a total of 1,500 beds, both health (rehabilitation) and social-health (RSA), with specialized wards for dementia patients, persistent vegetative states, terminal patients.

A private partner: the "Cenci Gallingani" Foundation  of Cesano Boscone (MI), born from the will of an entrepreneur who destined his patrimony to promote innovation in elderly care services, in particular for people with dementia. The Cenci Gallingani Foundation has already carried out care initiatives (Villa Sormani Day Care Center in collaboration with the Istituto Sacra Famiglia) and studies (research on the relational quality in RSAs in collaboration with the Catholic University of Milan).

WHY SET UP A RESEARCH CENTER ON BRAIN AGEING AT THE GOLGI INSTITUTE IN ABBIATEGRASSO?

The "Camillo Golgi" Geriatric Institute has a neuromotor geriatric rehabilitation ward, an Alzheimer's unit for temporary stays and two Alzheimer's Assisted Living units, as well as several RSA units. It also provides home nursing and physiotherapy services through Voucher in the area of Abbiategrasso.
Of no less importance is the fact that it is home to the Alzheimer's Evaluation Unit.

The main reasons for this choice can be summarized as follows:

• Opportunity to bring together the activity of caring for a large population of elderly followed over time with the observation, study, research that is usually carried out in specialized clinical settings with a few patients followed for a shorter time. The opportunity to have a large case study allows a new and broader statistical-epidemiological view of these syndromes.
• Using the established tradition here of good care for Alzheimer's and other dementia patients, especially in the severe stages of the disease, for these purposes.
• A wider development of the tradition of study and of scientific, didactic and popular publications by the medical team of the Institute, already known at national level, which testifies and is a guarantee of a widespread motivation and attention to research themes.
• The presence of a Golgi museum, together with the fascinating architectural structure of the historic Institute named after the first Italian Nobel Prize winner, Camillo Golgi, who served as the first doctor there from 1873 to 1876, the years in which he created the so-called "black reaction" that later (1906) earned him the Nobel Prize for Medicine.
• The willingness and interest of the ASP Administration and the City of Abbiategrasso towards the initiative.
• The availability of adequate space at a time of architectural and structural renewal of the Institute.