The La Laguna City Council, via Muvisa, which oversees the municipal initiative for the revitalisation and healthy ageing of older adults, is set to launch a new permanent programme aimed at combating unwanted loneliness. This initiative will provide physical, emotional, and cognitive support within the comfort of one’s home.
A study commissioned by the council reveals that nearly 70% of individuals over 55 in the municipality suffer from unwanted loneliness. This finding is based on questionnaires distributed to 400 people within this age bracket, as disclosed in a press conference attended by La Laguna’s mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, the president of Muvisa, Adolfo Cordobés, and the study coordinator and president of the Association for Inclusion Acompáñame, Cristian Macía.
The mayor emphasised that “our elderly represent an invaluable living heritage” and highlighted “the particular sensitivity that this city council possesses towards this reality”. This commitment has led to the declaration of La Laguna as a Friendly City for the Elderly by Imserso and OMS. He further noted that “collaborative efforts between the administration and associations are paramount”. The municipality is home to over 51,300 residents aged 55 and above.
In the meantime, the president of Muvisa elaborated on the initiation of a “pilot project providing home support for approximately 40 individuals, centred on sociocultural and psychosocial dynamisation” conducted over the past six months to address this “growing concern”. He remarked, “Seeing the very positive effects of the initiative, we recognised the need to ascertain the true extent of this issue in our municipality – thus, we commissioned a study on the matter.”
In response to the study’s findings, “we have decided to allocate a budget in Muvisa for the upcoming financial year and commence a tender for a comprehensive multi-year action programme”, which will initially target between 100 and 120 individuals,” he announced. “We are already developing the specifications and anticipate awarding the programme at the beginning of the following year,” he added. The aim is to “tackle unwanted loneliness in a holistic manner, taking into account physical and mental aspects, as well as social environments and access to suitable support,” with a multidisciplinary team at its core.
Beneficiaries will be selected by the Muvisa promotional service, the Social Welfare department, and the home care division.
Meanwhile, Cristian Macía outlined the methodology, objectives, evaluated factors, and conclusions from the study conducted through surveys of 400 individuals over 55 across the municipality. Among the critical findings is that “almost 70% of those surveyed experience unwanted loneliness”, indicating that two out of three individuals aged 55 and above often feel lonely. Furthermore, 65.6% of those experiencing unchosen loneliness face mental health challenges. Additionally, “there are no discrepancies in this perception between rural and urban settings.”