Benidorm starts a community and preventive project to detect cases of elderly people at risk of isolation

The Department of Social Welfare has launched a community and preventive project to detect cases of people over 75 at risk of isolation and / or exclusion with the aim of acting to alleviate the negative effects of unwanted loneliness. The councilor of the area, Ángela Llorca, today presented the details of this 'Brújula' program together with the technician responsible for Home Care, Mª José Trigueros, and the social educator Isabel Ortega.

Llorca explained that "there are more and more elderly people living alone or isolated, especially after the loss of their partner," who "have a weak family network," who "suffer from a disease that makes them in a situation of dependence ", or that suffer from" economic precariousness ". Hence, "faced with the challenge of guaranteeing their safety and well-being", it was decided to launch this project "together with the resources and associative fabric of the neighborhoods" to "prevent this situation of isolation and exclusion" and "to put disposition of these people all the services offered or managed by the Department of Social Welfare ".

The councillor stressed that for prevention to be effective is essential "the involvement of the environment", from neighbors to the health care network, through pharmacies, banks and businesses, among others, and even creating "a network of volunteers" .

The operation of the project indicates that if there is a suspicion of a possible case, it should be communicated to the Department, whose technicians will go to the person's home to carry out the assessment and transfer the possible services available to them.

To raise awareness of the project, the Department plans to conduct awareness days involving health centers, pharmacies, neighborhood associations, Red Cross or Cáritas. From the outset, the regional hospital of Villajoyosa has already announced that it will "join the project", as Trigueros has explained. In addition, a diffusion work will be carried out with posters in Spanish, Valencian, English and French; and they will edit brochures that include a small test with several questions whose answer will let you know if you are facing a case of isolation or exclusion.

Those responsible for the project indicated that prevention is key because "normally these cases come to us at a very advanced stage when the only possible solution is hospitalization in a residence or hospital." With this project 'Brújula' what is intended is to act when the person still has some autonomy to live alone by putting at your disposal "resources and services such as telecare, home help or day centers" or programs such as 'Majors' a Casa 'and' Menjars a casa '.

Currently, in Benidorm there are 4,967 people over 75 years of age, of whom 2,591 live alone and 2,376 who live as a couple.