Vincles BCN supports and connects over three thousand elderly people
The Vincles BCN service has been in place for five years and now connects 3,067 senior citizens around the city. This innovative social project is a very important tool for combatting unwanted loneliness and allows elderly people who feel lonely to increase, maintain and strengthen their ties with friends, relatives and other people in the community. The service uses a simple, accessible and intuitive app, installed on a mobile device.
The tool helps elderly people who feel lonely to easily connect with their closest circle of friends and family. It also fosters participation in neighbourhood groups, friendship groups and other groups of interest.
This year the service allowed users to access 88 neighbourhood groups, 22 friendship groups and 75 groups of interest, covering topics such as memory, gardening, crafts and creativity. All these groups are facilitated by professionals who accompany elderly people. Various activities are conducted every day using the app, offering cultural and intergenerational activities, others relating to interest groups and virtual and face-to-face meetings. Last year, the service included 25,000 online actions, 208 face-to-face meetings and 493 virtual meetings, with 4,382 participants.
The 3,000 plus users include 2,552 women and 515 men, aged between 65 and 103, the age of the oldest person using the service. The average user age is 81.
