Orihuela addresses loneliness in elders
ORIHUELA town hall social services department has created a ‘pioneering programme’ called ‘Hygge’ aimed at combating loneliness amongst the elderly.
Councillor for social services, Almudena Baldó, accompanied by psychologist Stefanie Tambani and the president of Orihuela association for the elderly, Pedro Pérez recently presented the new psycho-social programme to combat loneliness.
‘Hygge’ is a word of Danish origin, meaning a feeling of cosiness or wellbeing obtained by undertaking simple tasks. Its meaning and practice is ‘intertwined with the general objective of the programme’ which enables elders to focus on ‘what makes them feel good and disregard what does not’.
The initiative is being carried out in both group and individual sessions and assists participants to cope with loneliness by creating social relations, promoting active ageing, decreasing the incielderly dence of depression and anxiety, as well as developing emotional intelligence and social skills.
“Worries about the mental health of our elderly who are alone, or feel alone, were the trigger for the development and implementation of a programme that serves as a support network using the social resources we have, and it is extremely important to promote their quality of life with programmes that meet and cover these needs,” said Sra Baldó.
Stefanie Tambani explained that we have to ‘try to prevent loneliness’ and for her, thanks to this initiative, she is aware of the situation of elder residents, due to the individual sessions that serve to improve the feelings and address the anxieties that provoke feelings of loneliness.
“We will help them to be active and keep their thoughts realistic so that their life is more complete and the load is lightened,” said the psychologist.
Pedro Pérez noted that the Orihuela association for the has 219 members, who have expressed their satisfaction with the programme and thanked the councillor for her concern about their mental health.
The programme features nine sessions, plus two psychological evaluations, which aim to inform people about the incidence of loneliness and the benefits of an intervention.
The service is currently being provided to users of the Virgen de Monserrate centre for the elderly, with the possibility of it being extended to other centres in the future.
“After almost two years of the pandemic the importance of looking after mental health has to be a priority, and we have opted to continue to care for our elder residents who have suffered, due to restrictions, the absence of visits or social isolation, fear, but above all loneliness, and it is for them that this programme has been developed and I am confident that its benefits will change many lives,” concluded the councillor.