No elderly person alone

A report presented yesterday provides evidence that having personal and affective ties is essential if older people are to maintain a good quality of life. Sociologist Núria Comas, one of the authors of the study, explains that having someone they can trust also increases the feeling of security among older people who live alone because it helps them to know whether to open the door or not and makes them less vulnerable to scams. The paper reports that support actions alleviate loneliness and improve emotional health, while at the same time increasing social relationships and opportunities to participate in activities.

After analysing the Barcelona City Council programmes offered by Amics de la Gent Gran, Avismón and Radars, the authors found that most users (80%) and volunteers (73%) are women.

One example of how the programmes work is that of Conxita Capmany and Marta Alsina. Amics de la Gent Gran employees stopped Marta in front of the market one day to ask if she wanted to join. She became a volunteer, passed the training process, and was then paired with Conxita because they live close to one another.

When they met, Conxita, who is 95 years old, lived alone and was “disoriented and sad because she had had a bad experience,” she says. Marta's visits made her want to get out and get active again. Every Thursday at 11 am, Conxita gets ready to go out. Marta comes and takes her for a walk, a coffee or a soft drink and they read the newspaper together. It is a service that is becoming increasingly more necessary, according to the associations that provide it.