The Keys to Combatting Unwanted Loneliness
Unwanted Loneliness, especially in vulnerable groups, brings feelings of intense suffering, impacting on well-being and quality of life for people. This phenomenon has been aggravated by the COVID-19 outbreak. This is why, during the lockdown of the population due to the pandemic, support networks were put in place to alleviate the consequences of loneliness. Many of them remain in place in the prospect of a pandemic winter.
In the digital meeting 'Accompanying Loneliness', we wanted to visualize this situation. Moderated by Isabel Grimal, director of nursing at Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu (PSSJD), participant María Alcáñiz, nurse of the social health care company Sant Joan de Déu Esplugues, Pilar Soleto, social worker at the Fundació Nostra Senyora dels Àngels, Jordi Ramón, a mental health nurse at the Centre for Adult Mental Health (CSMA) in Cornellá, Gabriela Estropa and Albert Quiles, volunteer social integrators and managing director respectively of the Fundació Amics de la Gent Gran.
First, Isabel Grimal introduced the concept of loneliness not sought and aggravated by the pandemic. In 2019, in Spain alone lived around 2.5 million people in 'permanent confinement' due to an aging population and changes in family structures in today's society. In 2050, 38% of the Spanish population is expected to be over 65 years of age. Throughout the meeting, she pointed out the hardness of living in solitude (an aspect that can impact someone regardless of their age) and the need to increase public resources to prevent and alleviate unwanted loneliness, as well as sensitizing all stratus of the population.
María Alcáñiz, in an introductory video, explains how the social and health care company Sant Joan de Déu approached the accompaniment of its users during the emergency state. 90% of its resident had medium/high levels of loneliness and there was a generalized climate of anxiety in the center of the face of the breakdown of the usual dynamics. Through the project 'Connect Emotions' a personalized accompaniment was made through daily video calls between the users and their families.
Pilar Soleto García explains how the Fundació Nostra Senyora dels Àngels was organised to support users who are acting as guardians (960 people, 71% of them over 81 years of age and 90% in residences). After the initial chaos, because of the lack of support for face-to-face contacts, new channels of communication were established through new technologies. They noted that some users had a greater impact than others with the restrictions on social interactions. It point to the need to remove older people from invisibility and demands more resources to fight loneliness.
Jordi Ramón Rizo presented the study he led himself for 7 years at the CSMA Cornellá, 'Impact of a group intervention on the perception of loneliness of older people'. It demonstrates that group and community activities at advanced ages, working on aspects such as healthy habits or cognitive stimulation, bring benefits such as improved quality of life and a sense of belonging to a group. During the months of lockdown, program interventions adapted people's need with technology support and fostering mutual support. He point to stigmatising the component of loneliness 'a death in life'.
Gabriela Estropa and Albert Quílez have highlighted the importance of volunteering with older people to alleviate feelings of loneliness. The Foundation Amics de la Gent Gran has been working with older and vulnerable people for more than 30 years. During lockdown, they performed telephone accompaniment and highly vaue the experience. Gabriela Estropa emphasises that loneliness is not unique to older people and invites them to make them to make the world of geriatric aides visible and to involve the population in voluntary actions.
Finally, Albert Quílez expresses his concern about how interventions are being managed in the face of the new waves of COVID-19. He says that organisations must learn from experience and do different things: In addition to ensuring basic prevention measures, there are face-to-face actions that cannot be omitted and that 'are as essential as food'. Be cautious but creative, because for older people 'If it doesn't kill the virus, it kills the pain.'
You can watch the whole digital meeting here 'Accompanying Loneliness'
Featuring
