How to break with elder loneliness
The collective “To fight loneliness” showed through a great study including about 5,000 persons being 60 years old and more, how elder loneliness could generate a feeling of solitude, worsening factor of exclusion and suffering.
To fight against elder loneliness and solitude, the Collective "to fight loneliness" proposes to encourage initiatives of proximity and dialogue in view to restore the social link. This collective, that gathers 8 associations of charity, took the initiative to investigate the loneliness and the relational life of elderly people just after the 2003 heat (15.000 deaths: a majority of which being elderly people often isolated). It was a matter of thinking about the means able to prevent a new similar catastrophe, explained on Wednesday the members of the collective.
This national survey entitled "loneliness and relational life of elderly people" was carried out towards some men and women being 60 years old and more, in two times and according to two methods: quantitative and qualitative.
The conclusions of this work make it possible to highlight certain points, particularly the following ones:
- The share of elderly women is more important than the men one: there are much more widows than widowers, each case is particular, loneliness results mainly from the socio-economic situation and/or the problems of health related to the age, which ones are reinforced by loneliness (loss of the husband or spouse, their being so far from the family).
- The age bracket 79-83 years old is at the turning point between two situations linked to age: before being 79 years old, we remain intellectually active and committed in social life, after 83 years old we are in the "great age" (decreasing in intellectual faculties, deteriorated health). Between the two, the greatest changes occur (loss of autonomy, problems of health): in this age bracket, according to the investigation, 70% of the elderly people mention a physical problem, and 42.6% ceased going out regularly.
- Loneliness takes on a cultural aspect:those being less than 70 years old had access to data processing, they keep the link with younger generations. For the oldest ones, those who do not use Internet, a gulf lies between them. To solve loneliness, the Collective proposes several solutions, which all privilege the direct link and the fact to speak with someone: to take into account the diversity in loneliness, to reinforce coordination between the various people intervening within elderly people (doctors, volunteers, assistances to residence), to encourage neighborly relations.
- To speak with someone reduces loneliness: elderly people need to speak because it is an obvious mean of reducing loneliness whereas 18% of the questioned people do not have "any occasion to speak each day". The collective also estimates that it is necessary to much more listen to elderly people, to take into account their needs and their desires. "It is not because retirement’s homes are built that all the problems of elderly people are solved", summarizes a representative of the Foundation of France (that helped financially the Collective).
- Financial income of elderly widows is insufficient: the old age minimum is only 110 euros per month and a lot of widows have only to live a small reversion pension: not enough in both cases to live "like before".
Source : http://www.agevillage.com
By
MG, FIAPA Date
13-10-2006
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