"la Caixa" Foundation promotes good treatment of the elderly in the pandemic

"la Caixa" Foundation is redoubling its commitment to the elderly, especially in the context of health and social emergencies. Following the objective of empowering older people and facilitating the construction of supportive relationships in order to develop a full life, with meaning and significance, the Elderly People's Programme proposes a meditation, in the light of the coronavirus crisis, based on the report "Reflections on the good treatment of the elderly during COVID-19". 

The report starts from the premise that the crisis has exacerbated the previously existing difficulties in perceiving the "equal dignity" of the elderly; in particular, it has left the most vulnerable and needy elderly people in the dark. Faced with this new scenario, "ageism" - discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age - has intensified and therefore needs to be reviewed. 

Confinement has been able to aggravate situations of loneliness in the elderly, due to the social isolation imposed and the lack of relationships that many of them have. This experience has shown the relevance of personal resources and strengths in dealing with this situation. 

Among the main conclusions of the report are the need to promote equal rights between people, regardless of their age; to raise awareness of elder abuse; and to encourage good treatment in communities of interdependent people. 

The report also recalls that older people are adults and citizens with the same rights as others, regardless of their vulnerability and need for help. It thus invites citizens to become aware of the vulnerable condition of life and the intrinsic need for care: there is no life without care. 

Along these lines, "la Caixa" Foundation's Elderly People's Programme has monitored the confinement through the daily experiences of 43 elderly people during the confinement, which highlights the strengths of elderly people in complex situations. The report "Strength in the face of Adversity" stresses the importance of living a life with clearly established routines; a proactive attitude; having a social network and possibilities to maintain communication, as well as having psychological strength, a sense of humor, curiosity and generosity to achieve a life with meaning and significance. 

Since its origins more than one hundred years ago, "la Caixa" Foundation has focused on the welfare of the elderly by promoting a wide range of activities and resources distributed in 633 senior citizens' centres, either its own or those operated by public authorities, throughout Spain.