2023-09-30 06:30:00
In a context marked by the increase in cases of people in a situation of loneliness, the Semper Acompanyats program of the “la Caixa” Foundation has served since the beginning of this year more than 900 elderly people in Catalonia. In Girona, it has served 105 people from Barri Vell – Mercadal, Barri de Sant Narcís and Barri de Palau, with the help of Creu Roja Catalunya and 48 volunteers and with the collaboration of the City Council. All this through a innovative methodology and in constant evolution together with the community and the administrations.
The increase in life expectancythe new forms of family coexistence and a different organization of the use of time pose an increasingly complex reality from which new challenges arise, among which is loneliness, which is estimated to affect nearly 3 million people. He Elderly program of the ”la Caixa” Foundationwith more than a hundred years of history, aims to address the new challenges that arise in old age. In Spain as a whole, people over 65 represent 19.6% of the population (9,310,828 people). According to projection data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), there could be in 2035 more than 12.8 million elderly people, that is to say, they would constitute 26.5% of the total of a population that would exceed 48 million inhabitants. During the coming years, and especially from 2030 onwards, the largest increases would be recorded with the coming of age of the cohorts born during baby boom.
The program for the elderly of the ”la Caixa” Foundation has launched the action “Loneliness is not seen, it is felt” to raise awareness in society about this phenomenon that affects nearly 3 million elderly people in Spain.
The mission of the Semper Acompanyats program is empowering older people in a situation of loneliness by putting them at the center, as active subjects of their aging process, and accompanying them in the search for a full life through the promotion of their relationships of well-being and support. Likewise, the program seeks the involvement of citizens and the community environment to build alliances and network. All this, with the aim of raising public awareness and minimizing lonely situations for the elderly.
It is scientifically proven that coping with loneliness and improving social relationships brings powerful benefits: the increase in psychological adaptation to situations of loss, illness or chronic stress (such as care); the improvement of health, emotional state and life expectancy; the increase in the quality of life, and the decrease in the probability of getting sick and suffering from dementia. Also, the program has found that fostering social relationships makes it easier to lead a full life, with meaning and meaning.
Currently, the program is present in 13 territories of Spain: Jerez, Murcia, Pamplona, Granada, Malaga, Palma, Sabadell, Terrassa, Tortosa, Girona, Tàrrega, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Lleida. It has also landed in Lisbon and Porto. This year, the involvement of 140 social entities i 218 professionals and 172 volunteers have made possible the development of this program in Catalonia.
The streets as a speaker of the unwanted loneliness of the elderly
In order to raise society’s awareness of the phenomenon of loneliness, theaction “Loneliness is not seen, it is felt”which through messages and images located in different parts of these cities makes visible the feeling of isolation experienced by millions of elderly people in their homes.
In addition, on the occasion of the International Day of the Elderly (October 1), various awareness-raising actions are planned that give value to the importance of social relationships and make loneliness visible as a challenge for our society in a double meaning: it can affect everyone, regardless of age, and at the same time, everyone can do their bit to improve the lives of people around them who feel lonely.
Specifically a Gironafrom the Semper Acompanyats Program, an activity is scheduled to take place next Friday, October 6 at 4:30 p.m. In the Espai Fundació “la Caixa”, located at Plaça Poeta Marquina number 10 in Girona, the film “El agente topo”, a humorous drama nominated for the Oscars 2021 as best documentary, will be shown, which it deals with loneliness, the ability to love, emotions and the role of older people in society.
These activities are a sample of the different actions that are promoted during the year to raise awareness, detect lonely people and weave this network of support and relationships, always with the collaboration of the associative fabric and local institutions. For example, this summer actions have been promoted that have been well received aimed at the elderly people who were left alone during the holidays.
In addition, the Semper Acompanyats program has launched 12 conversations in audio format with expert gerontologists and psychologists who address from different perspectives the keys to understanding loneliness with an emphasis on prevention and tools for empowerment.
A participatory glossary to face ageism
This year, the “la Caixa” Foundation has edited a very innovative glossary which aims to promote social awareness about words and expressions that promote theageism and, in this way, prevent them from being used and contribute to good treatment.
the term ageism it refers to discrimination on the basis of age, especially of the elderly, and one of the most widespread forms is presented through an inappropriate use of language. The glossary, with a total of 45 entries, is the result of a process of compilation and selection of ageist words and expressions provided by participants in different initiatives of the “la Caixa” Foundation’s Elderly program carried out throughout Spain . As the publication highlights, it usually manifests itself through the infantilization of the elderly (iaiet, would like), the depersonalization (the old, the retired) that day dehumanization (junk).
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