Integrated Social and Healthcare Project for Unwanted Loneliness among the Elderly in the Alt Pirineu-Aran Regions (AISSS)

(2024-2025)

The Integrated Social and Healthcare Project for Unwanted Loneliness among the Elderly in the Alt Pirineu-Aran regions (AISSS Alt Pirineu-Aran) aims to tackle the challenge of unwanted loneliness through research aimed at expanding and strengthening the Vincles Alt-Pirineu Aran project by incorporating and involving the healthcare system.

Thanks to the collaboration with HISS (Hub of Social and Healthcare Innovation of Catalonia), which has selected the AISSS project in its 1st Call against Unwanted Loneliness, this project explores how to incorporate various data from the healthcare system and the perspectives of healthcare teams into the detection and intervention processes of the Vincles Alt Pirineu-Aran project, in order to enable a common and integrated social and healthcare approach.

Unwanted loneliness and health

While it is true that unwanted loneliness is a phenomenon rooted in the social and emotional sphere, an increasing number of studies demonstrate the significant impact that loneliness can have on individuals, ranging from mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress, to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks.

Unwanted loneliness is also associated with a more sedentary lifestyle, as there are often few incentives to lead an active life. This factor can have serious health consequences and contribute to cognitive decline. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate the expertise of the healthcare sector both in detecting situations of unwanted loneliness and in intervening when necessary.

Big data for detecting unwanted loneliness

Both the Vincles project and AISSS are based on the successful experience of the Basque program Auzosare, promoted by Agintzari and Gislan, which combines a data analysis tool with direct community intervention. In the Vincles project, a set of 58 indicators is taken into account to classify all individuals over 65 years old according to their risk of experiencing unwanted loneliness, allowing for more proactive and preventive care for the entire population at risk of loneliness.

The goal of the AISSS project is to identify data and indicators from the healthcare system that can improve the accuracy of the loneliness risk algorithms of the Vincles project, and at the same time, determine the best ways for healthcare system agents to participate in the social intervention and community activation processes of the project.