Virtual access to the day center for the elderly with mobility limitations through television

The Madrid City Council has launched an innovative initiative with the purpose of counteracting the unwanted loneliness that affects the elderly and dependent people in the city. This pilot project seeks to provide social care directly in homes through a program integrated into television, allowing those with reduced mobility to participate in leisure and stimulation activities without having to physically travel to day centers.

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An initial group of 25 users of the Puente de Vallecas and Villa de Vallecas Home Help Service will participate in this initiative, developed in collaboration with Ingesan, the main subsidiary of the Services Division of the OHLA group. Among those selected, women over 80 years of age predominate, with a significant percentage presenting some type of physical impairment (70%), cognitive impairment (12%) or experiencing feelings of unwanted loneliness (18%). This virtual care modality transfers the typical activities of a social center directly to homes, thus eliminating physical barriers that limit participation.

José Fernández, delegate of Social Policies, Family and Equality, emphasizes the importance of bringing sociocultural activities closer to people with reduced mobility, since this represents a great advance in the fight against unwanted loneliness and contributes to the elderly remaining longer time and in better conditions in their homes. This virtual care service is carried out through videoconferences through television, complemented by home visits for individualized monitoring of each case.

A multidisciplinary team made up of psychologists, social workers, physiotherapists and sociocultural animators will develop personalized plans for each user, extending until December 31, 2024. This new initiative is part of the Madrid municipal strategy to detect and address unwanted loneliness , incorporating new tools to mitigate it.

In addition, Madrid City Council has strengthened its services in areas such as addiction prevention, health promotion and promotion of birth rates, by signing a Collaboration Agreement with Madrid Salud. This agreement, which replaces the previous one focused on needs during the pandemic, now includes an emphasis on the prevention of addictions among adolescents and young people, especially those related to the excessive use of social networks and video games.

Collaboration is also intensified in actions related to the protection of maternity and paternity, the promotion of birth rates and work-life balance, as part of the City Council's Birth Promotion Plan. In addition, efforts are made to prevent unwanted loneliness and to treat cases of Diogenes Syndrome. Madrid Salud will be in charge of the veterinary care of pets referred from Social Services, including vaccination, deworming, sterilization and microchip identification.

With this renewal of the agreement for an initial period of four years, with the possibility of extending another four, the social services network of the Madrid City Council is strengthened and care for vulnerable people is improved through greater coordination, as pointed out by the vice mayor, Inma. Sanz.