Study Unwanted Loneliness Vega del Guadalix

Unwanted loneliness has become a social problem in all strata of the population, impacting to a greater or lesser extent on people's quality of life. However, older people are more susceptible to suffer from it during their old age, a problem that has a profound impact on the experience of life, favouring physical, mental and emotional discomfort.
Through a approach to the realities of the four municipalities of the Commonwealth of Social Services Vega del Guadalix, We have explored the causes and consequences of this social problem. The approach has consisted of a comprehensive review of available sources and databases combined with qualitative techniques with expert actors in the municipalities, as well as with older people experiencing unwanted loneliness.

The findings have allowed us to draw two main conclusions: On the one hand, we have been able to detecting a risk profile of elderly people who could be in a situation of unwanted loneliness: women over 65, widowed, with no family ties in the municipality, with physical, organic or mental illnesses, with little connection to the territory, in a territory with difficult access and low purchasing power. On the other hand, we have developed a set of intervention strategies to implement from local public authorities that combine a vision based on the preferences expressed by older people, participatory processes, a strong community dimension and the improvement of local social, health and social-health systems to enable a holistic approach to unwanted loneliness in older people.