“We don’t want gifts, we want affection,” he says. Paca, 93 years old. At your side, Candida, 92, nods. It is impossible not to be moved by these two women who, hand in hand, tell how a pioneering project has helped them become friends and helped them alleviate their unwanted loneliness.

Because older people suffer from this evil in our society and, especially, women. This is one of the conclusions reached Lonelinessa pioneering project from the University of Salamanca tries to address and combat unwanted loneliness in the elderly population.

The project has helped more than 60 seniorslike Paca and Cándida, who tell laSexta how their lives have changed since they were cared for by the volunteers and trainee nurses participants in the project. “I’m crazy happy,” says Cándida.

The CENIE, the center for the study of longevity dependent on the General Foundation of the University of Salamanca, is responsible for this pilot and pioneering initiative launched in the city ​​of Zamora and for this they have had European funding.

A total of 60 peoplewith an average age of 76.85 years, have participated in the project. The majority of them are women (67.86%), of whom 57% are widows, 64% live alone. Furthermore, 40% of the total participants only have primary education.

Identify loneliness

One of the important tasks that this project has tackled has been to identify people who suffer from loneliness. Especially because, often, these women and men find it difficult to recognize it: “How can I say that I feel alone if I have children?yes I have a family,” says Elisa Sala, a CENIE researcher who has led the project.

For them, Sala points out, one of the key actions is in involve local agents: parishes, pharmacies, health centers, with the aim of “helping in the identification of lonely elderly people,” he adds. “Community action is necessary,” says Victoria, one of the volunteers in the project.

Furthermore, and after its experience, the project has identified that health centers and health personnel “generate safe and trustworthy spaces for the elderly and that they are key agents” in addressing unwanted loneliness and with a fundamental role in detecting risk situations.

Zamora is the oldest province in Spain and has an index of 326%, that is, there are 326 people over 64 years of age for every 100 people under 16. Paca and Cándida are two of those seniors, and now, and thanks to this initiative, they live their old age with the support they deserve. Going over 90 years old is a challenge in itself.