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According to the 2018 Continuous Household Survey, out of the nine million older people in Spain, nearly two million live alone. Of these, 850,000 people are over 80 years old, and 78% are women. Thanks to the CIS-IMSERSO Study, we also know that 6 out of 10 people living alone admit to experiencing loneliness. From this general figure, we can break down the following regional data:
Aragon: More than 53,000 people over the age of 80 live alone in this Region, 70% of whom are women.
Catalonia: According to IDESCAT data, more than 334,000 people over the age of 65 live alone, and it is estimated that over 50% experience loneliness. This reality worsens in the most populated cities, such as Barcelona.
Valencian Community: Across the entire community, more than 129,000 older people experience varying degrees of loneliness. It is estimated that in Valencia city 43,000 older people suffer from loneliness.
Madrid: According to data from a Madrid Salud report, 240,000 people experienced loneliness in 2017. Among them, age—specifically being over 65—is one of the factors that increases the likelihood of suffering from it.
Andalusia: According to the latest Survey of Essential Characteristics of the Population and Housing (INE), nearly 400,000 people over the age of 65 live alone in Andalusia.
The Fundación Amigos de los Mayores is a specialized non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to work towards loneliness and social exclusion among the elderly population in Spain. Established in 1987 in Barcelona, the foundation operates within the framework of the International Federation Les Petits Frères des Pauvres. Over nearly four decades, the foundation has implemented a scalable model of social intervention, expanding its geographic reach through strategic regional mergers to address a critical demographic challenge: the psychological and systemic isolation of the elderly.
The organization operates on the principle that population aging requires structured, community-based solutions to prevent the degradation of psychosocial well-being. With Spain experiencing significant demographic shifts—characterized by a high prevalence of single-person elderly households—the foundation deploys targeted intervention strategies to restore social capital, enhance self-esteem, and facilitate the re-integration of vulnerable seniors into local support networks.
To operationalize its objectives, the foundation utilizes a multi-tiered methodology centered on three strategic pillars: primary emotional visits, community vitalization, and sociopolitical advocacy. The primary intervention model consists of structured home-visiting. Through rigorous volunteer-beneficiary matching protocols based on affinity and geographic proximity, the organization delivers consistent, weekly relational support. This continuous contact serves as a non-clinical preventive measure against cognitive decline and depressive symptoms associated with chronic isolation.
Complementing individualized care, the foundation executes community-level vitalization programs designed to combat social atrophy. These initiatives include structured intergenerational workshops, cultural excursions, and seasonal socialization events. Projects such as specialized knitting workshops act as dual-purpose mechanisms: they foster cognitive stimulation and skill-sharing among participants while generating alternative revenue streams to support operational sustainability.
Concurrently, the foundation serves as a research and advocacy body. By establishing specialized observatory and publishing reports on elderly people isolation, the organization contributes data-driven insights to the public discourse. These efforts aim to influence public policy, deconstruct institutional ageism, and quantify the socioeconomic impacts of loneliness on public healthcare systems.
In summary, Fundación Amigos de los Mayores functions as an essential intermediary in the social care sector. By leveraging managed volunteer capital, the foundation transforms public health vulnerabilities into structured community connections, ensuring that demographic longevity is attended by comprehensive social integration and dignity.
Weekly home-visiting and residential programs to mitigate severe social isolation.
Intergenerational workshops, cultural excursions, and seasonal campaigns to restore local social networks.
Quantitative data collection via loneliness observatory to influence public policy and combat ageism.
Standardized screening, affinity-based matching, and continuous training in elderly people care.
A structured training framework designed to enhance emotional support and psychosocial competencies among volunteers. The program delivers modules on active listening and complex geriatric care, ensuring high-quality, professionalized interventions. It effectively equips caregivers to address deep-rooted loneliness and manage psychological vulnerability within the aging population.
An innovative socio-legal initiative providing free, professional legal counseling to vulnerable older adults. Funded through solidarity-based legacies, it acts as an institutional safeguard defending elderly people rights against abuse or fraud.