Adding life to years
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Summary

Radars is a local network of prevention and detection of the solitude and isolation of the elderly, where residents, neighbors, traders, volunteers and services are involved in the different neighborhoods of Igualada.

This network is useful both for the elderly who live in this undesired situation, solitude, as well as for their relatives knowing that someone watches over them. The community itself will also be strengthened and empowered by collaborating with the City Council to respond in an organized and efficient way to new social needs.

Targets:

Facilitate that elderly people living alone or accompanied by people at risk of vulnerability can continue living in their home with the complicity of the environment.
Boost collaboration between the citizens and the administration, since “we are all part of the solution”.
Organization, operation and methodology

Radars work thanks to local involvement (shops, establishments, …), from which situations of elderly people are found solely close to the risk of isolation.

A team of volunteers from various entities is responsible for establishing the link with the elderly people, by calling them at home and inviting them to participate in community activities and services.

The City Council makes available to local Radar and Traders a telephone to publicize, in a confidential manner, the detection of situations of vulnerable senior citizens. From Social Services they value if the situation can be taken from the Radar volunteer platform or if it requires another type of specialized intervention.

At the same time, a team made up of technicians, professionals and other actors in the community are responsible for the general follow-up of the project, the campaigns for dissemination and awareness and the design of possible improvement actions, is the team that forms the Table Technique.

It should be underlined that the ultimate goal is that the Radars network, made up of citizens and led by the City Council, facilitates that those people who are targeted in the project are linked to the community to facilitate aging in their own environment.

 

Website: http://www.igualada.cat/ca/regidories/accio-social-i-promocio-personal/projectes-comunitaris-i-grups/radars

Key facts

Main target group: Vulnerable older people (e.g. at risk or victims of abuse, living alone, poor etc.)

Sector(s): Social protection

Desired outcome for older people:
Build and maintain relationships

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:
  • Elder abuse
  • Inclusion
  • Participation

Contact details

Name: Montserrat Montrabeta Mensa

Email address: montrabetam@aj-igualada.net


Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Local authorities

Others involved in the project:
  • Volunteers

Older people’s involvement: Older people helped to implement the age-friendly practice

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: No

Do you plan to evaluate your age-friendly practice? Yes

Looking back

Challenges:
One of the main challenges was to introduce the project so that people trust it. Another challenge was to find volunteers committed to tracking weekly calls. Continue raising the awareness of the population (establishments, shops, etc.) to ensure the elderly in their immediate environment.