IN COLLABORATION WITH “LA CAIXA” FOUNDATION
The number of cases of people in a situation of loneliness is increasing. The sustained increase in life expectancy, the different ways of living together as a family and the alterations in the organization of time in our era have led to an increase in those affected, which is around 3 million people.
In this context, the Always Accompanied program of the ”la Caixa” Foundation has served nearly 2,000 older people since the beginning of 2023. This project, which started in 2014 with the support of the administrations and the community, has met these objectives thanks to its innovative methodology. Closely related is the “la Caixa” Foundation’s Senior Citizens program, with more than 100 years of history, which aims to address the new challenges that arise in old age.
The program, however, seeks the involvement of citizens and the community environment to establish alliances and network. That is, not only to raise awareness among citizens, but also so that we all play a role when it comes to finding solutions to situations of loneliness in older people.
In Spain, people over 65 years of age represent 19.6% of the population. According to projection data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the current figure (9,310,828 people) will exceed 12.8 million older people in 2035, 26.5% of the total population. The mission of Siempre Acompañados is to empower these people in a situation of loneliness, position them as active subjects in their aging process and accompany them in the search for a full life by promoting their relationships of well-being and support.
It is scientifically proven that improving social relationships provides powerful benefits, such as increasing psychological adaptation in situations of loss, illness or chronic stress. Likewise, eliminate loneliness, improve health, emotional state, hope and quality of life and reduce the chances of getting sick and suffering from dementia. For this reason, we always accompany lawyers to promote social relationships and promote a full life, with meaning and meaning.
Currently, the program is present in Spain and in the Portuguese cities of Lisbon and Porto. Specifically, the cities that benefit from this program are Jerez, Murcia, Pamplona, Granada, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Sabadell, Terrassa, Tortosa, Girona, Tàrrega, Santa Coloma de Gramanet and Lleida. Participation has been a complete success, involving 304 volunteers and 436 social entities.
‘Loneliness is not seen, it is felt’ is the action launched that aims to make the phenomenon of loneliness visible. Through messages and images arranged in different parts of the fifteen cities, emphasis is placed on the feeling of isolation that millions of older people suffer in their homes.
This program works so that older people who suffer from loneliness can improve their quality of life and that they themselves can manage this feeling. ‘Loneliness is not seen, it is felt’ is a campaign that calls on the community and works so that this reality stops being invisible and so that these people are not alone.
The Always Accompanying program, started in 2014, addresses the loneliness of older people through prevention and action. With a marked community focus and under the framework of this program, numerous activities open to all types of audiences will be launched with the aim of raising awareness about stereotypes related to old age and valuing social relationships.
Always Accompanying claims healthy social relationships to confront stereotypes linked to older people
The activities carried out are a sample of the different actions that are promoted during the year to detect affected people and build support networks, with the support of local associations and institutions. Without going any further, this summer, very popular actions aimed at older people who were left alone during the holidays have been promoted.
The Always Accompanying program has launched 12 conversations in audio format with expert psychologists and gerontologists who carry out dissemination, dissemination and visibility work that is key to the lives of these people. These conversations address the keys to understanding loneliness from different perspectives, emphasizing prevention and empowerment tools.