Society is challenged by a growing number of ageing people that live longer and age in place. A growing group of elderly is living alone and not receiving support. The lack of relationships combined with an increasing need of support leads not only to a decrease in empowerment, but also to loneliness.
Many interventions have been developed to address loneliness. It is though hard to select a suitable one in an unique situation and to implement it. In addition the conditions to be able to implement the interventions matter: It depends on the type of loneliness and the motivation to participate socially. Furthermore service providers are expected to make the transition to community-based services.
This has an impact on the different roles professionals must play.
Professionals need to know which interventions can be implemented, what their role is and what are the required skills are to carry it out. Hence, we want to exchange good practices for the innovation of approaches of social inclusion, with the aim of improving the skills and competencies of students and professionals in the field of care and welfare.
Results of this project:
- Overview of interventions for alleviating loneliness, categorized in the typologies of loneliness
- Analysis and evaluation good practices
- Evaluation of the methods to alleviate loneliness including the required roles of professionals to implement them and their necessary skills
- Collection of recommendations for organizations working with lonely elderly on potential interventions and the required roles and skills of the professionals
- Collection of existing (innovative, experimental) vocational training methods to deal with the challenges of social inclusion of lonely elderly together with vocational training methods to deal with the challenge of choosing a suitable intervention,
- Paving the way for first ideas of joint international education programs around loneliness among elderly.
Partners:
- University of Applied Sciences – Netherlands
- The city of Rotterdam- Netherlands
- Care Organization Roeselare- Belgium-
- Region of Crete- Greece
- Nacka Municipality- Sweden
- Centre Communal d’Action Social de Marseille- France
- European Network of Social Authorities- Italy
- CO.GE.S. Don Lorenzo Milani, Società Cooperativa Sociale-Italy
https://www.rotterdamuas.com/research/projects-and-publications/innovations-in-care/integrated-care/fightingloneliness/project-group/
