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Older people are invisible in the eyes of a society which endlessly continues to worship youth. They are silenced and excluded. Despite this, they survive and also sustain life and care for hundreds of people. But who looks after them? Who listens to them and accompanies them? Do they survive or scrape by? The coronavirus has put this group on the front line, as they are at the greatest risk in the pandemic. But it has also shown that this group is the most marginalised by an ultra-connected society which forgets the most important thing, that we are here because other people were here before us.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) judges ageism to be the third most serious form of discrimination in the world. It also highlights that ageism is more normalised than racism and sexism. Who demands non-discrimination by age these days? Who protests to denounce the consequences of this discrimination? As a society, we have internalised that the elderly live in darkness, in silence On the way we have also lost humanity, and we have denied older people the right to age with dignity.
The 'emotional loneliness' of elderly people
In Spain, elderly people make up 19.3% of the total population. That is to say 9 million people. Of these, 2 million people older than 65 live alone, and 72.3% are women, according to data from the latest survey carried out by the National Institute of Statistics (NIS). One of the main problems detected by the social entities is involuntary solitude and isolation.
This reality has been described by the La Caixa study 'Loneliness and risk of social isolation in older people'. The study concludes that loneliness impacts all ages, but the lack of a friendship network is especially worrying from the age of 65, an age which coincides with retirement. More than a quarter of people aged between 65 and 79 are isolated from a friendship network, and almost half of these are older than 80.
Loneliness is a social problem of public health and its most visible face is the feeling that there are no people to turn to or trust in case of need. That is to say, not having a support group in everyday life, so-called 'emotional loneliness'. This is something which has intensified for many older people in the last few months with the healthcare emergency caused by Covid-19.
Accompanied older people: a fundamental pillar of a fair society
In March, when the state of alarm was declared by the Spanish Government, the Valencia local government, in collaboration with Jovesólides, put a personalised, virtual companion service for older people into place. The ultimate aim: to provide the necessary resources for their wellbeing at this time. But it has also proven to be a programme which is necessary to combat loneliness.
After months of development, the programme has dealt with more than 1,800 older people from the city of Valencia. This service, which is still active, fufils several essential roles, like virtually accompanying older people, but it also identifies specific needs, and can thus refer them to the appropriate services.
Furthermore, through this programme Jovesólides provides training and guidance in the use of basic technology; it provides personalised support over the phone to vulnerable older people; and it boosts their daily entertainment through a Whatsapp channel, which is coordinated by the entity.
Technology: an allied tool to fight against loneliness
Many of those participating in the programme had some basic IT knowledge. But the percentage of people who have discovered that with a click on your mobi
le you can end loneliness is much higher.
In recent months, this small gadget, which they only used to call or send a message, has connected them with the world through apps which we use more and more to improve our quality of life. The most complicated thing has become simple through learning. Suddenly, setting up a phone or connecting it to the TV is no longer an indecipherable mystery. Online shopping has also made their daily routine easier. With the aim of assisting their comfort, the university designed a shopping guide.
Additionally, in recent months the older people participating in the programme have learnt to optimise the space on their phones, or to book an appointment at the doctor's. Particularly, they have liked discovering the variety of entertainment options. They have learnt how to download a fashion magazine app, or look around the Prado museum without having to leave their living rooms. They have also learnt how to create an account on online film channels to enjoy cinema, or on the Senior Channel to be up to date with the latest news.
Although technology is without a doubt one of the purposes of this programme which is most valued by older people, for the entity it is also the weekly telephone communication. In a very short time a very special link has been created. For Ramón Gordillo, one of the participants in the programme, 'the weekly calls are a drug'. This communication helps him to feel less alone, to learn new things, to stay connected with the world... What Ramón doesn't know is that he also helps all the people behind the service to believe that another society is possible, a society which is aware of and looks after older people. A society which includes everyone, without exceptions, is always better.
