2023-12-22 16:43:13
Unwanted loneliness It is a circumstance that should not be underestimated, since it can bring serious health problems and, above all, in older adults. During the holiday season, this sadness present in those who feel alone can have serious consequences. Following this, The government of the City of Buenos Aires launched the “Active Listening” programa space for dialogue and support for older people, with the aim of promoting their integration and combating their perception of unwanted loneliness.
Unwanted loneliness, according to the State Observatory of Unwanted Loneliness of Spain, is the negative experience in which an individual perceives deficiencies in their social relationships, whether in quantity or quality. This loneliness, when perceived subjectively, can trigger emotions such as sadness, melancholy, frustration and shame.
The City of Buenos Aires in 2022 carried out the first post-pandemic survey on Unwanted Loneliness in Older People. The results showed that 70% of those over 60 years of age express having had feelings of sadness, while 56% do so on a recurring basis.. Along the same lines, the Argentine Social Debt Observatory identified an increase in loneliness in the elderly population, with an increase correlated with chronological age.
In the stage of third age is where loneliness usually worsens due to circumstances such as widowhood, the growth or distance of children who form their own families, the loss of the family of origin, neighbors or friends or the physical inability to carry out some specific tasks. Even according to a study carried out in the City, older people who have some limitation in functional health are those who feel the most feelings of unwanted loneliness, showing 5 times more loneliness than those who do not have them.
Pacho O’ Donnell: “Old age is not a tragedy, it is a challenge”
Furthermore, those who receive assistance or care from third parties register a greater feeling of loneliness with a 16 percentage point difference compared to those who do not receive it. The feeling of loneliness emerges, then, when it is considered that social networks of belonging are lacking. or when there is a desire to have more links or for them to be of higher quality.
Solutions and preventive strategies for unwanted loneliness
Early detection: having active resources that allow unwanted loneliness to be detected in the different areas of social and care intervention is crucial to intervene in a timely and effective manner. Social awareness: raising awareness and involving society as a whole is a fundamental step in the fight against unwanted loneliness. Collective understanding and support are essential to address this issue comprehensively. Prevention: directing efforts towards social and individual activation of those individuals who have not yet fallen into unwanted loneliness is essential. Proactive prevention can help avoid the onset of this feeling. Intervention and accompaniment: acting in the intervention phase involves providing support and accompaniment to those people who find themselves in a situation of unwanted loneliness. Encouraging their reintegration or recovery from a close circle, promoting social participation, improving their mood and developing activities in their daily life are crucial steps.
Active Listening Program
In response to this problem, the Government of the City of Buenos Aires implemented the Active Listening initiative, a space for dialogue and support for older people, with the aim of promoting their integration and combating their perception of unwanted loneliness. The service can be accessed through the telephone line 147 (option 5) in the City of Buenos Aires, and the number 0800-999-2727 (option 5) in the rest of Argentina.
The line has already received more than 60,000 calls and the average age of the people who communicate is 63 years and 62.2% are women and 36.11% are men. Among the most frequent queries in the calls, the following stand out: assistance on issues of the daily life, information about courses and activities to stay active and learn about options to socialize.
In this sense, the Government of the City of Buenos Aires offers a variety of activities and training that encourage the participation and integration of older people. To learn about all the options, you can visit the company’s website. Comprehensive Welfare Secretariatsocial networks or request information in person at community headquarters.
LT
#Unwanted #loneliness #affect #health #older #adults