Loneliness: a guide to action

Loneliness is a phenomenon that is currently receiving a great deal of attention, especially loneliness among the elderly. A reality that in the Basque Country yields data such as the following: 26.6% of people over 65 years of age feel lonely and around 4% have no weekly contact with people living outside their home.

This new material, developed through a participative process in which different municipalities of the Euskadi Lagunkoia Network have been actively involved, allows for an in-depth study of the phenomenon of loneliness and how to deal with it. The municipalities have provided and reviewed information for the creation of the content of this guide, based on personal interviews and the collection of good practices, both in our environment and in other countries.

The guide, in easy-to-read format, includes an approach to the concept of loneliness and the differences that exist between living alone, feeling lonely and social isolation.

Beyond the theoretical approach, this guide provides keys for setting up programmes to tackle loneliness in the elderly, detailing the different types of interventions suggested, from raising awareness in society to direct intervention, including the prevention of situations of loneliness and the identification of people who suffer from it.

The document also includes examples of good practices, both from our environment and from other parts of the world, which can serve as inspiration for the implementation of specific actions.