The Community of Sant’Egidio carries out the Long live the elderly program to give an answer to the most fragile, aged 80 and over. Active in 11 Italian cities and 2 abroad
In the summer season there is not only the heat emergency to deal with. There is also that of the elderly people living alone
and who, due to the high temperatures, risk their lives without anyone noticing. In Italy, according to Istat, there are nine million people over 65 alone (of which five million live as a couple, without children). Since 2004, the Community of Sant’Egidio has been carrying out the Long Live the Elderly program to help those who are more vulnerable, aged 80 or more.
The target create a network of volunteers and health and social workers in the neighborhoods where the over 80s livewhich intervenes in their support to counter the negative effects of heat waves, social isolation and any other calamity (such as epidemic crises and hydrogeological events).
Solidarity service
a solidarity service available all year round, which was born in the historic center of Rome after the peak of mortality recorded throughout Europe in the summer of 2003 due to excessive heat – says Giancarlo Penza, one of the managers of the association’s elderly service -. In the following years it was extended to all districts of the capital, including the suburbs, which will be covered entirely from September, e adopted in eleven other Italian municipalities: Naples, Catania, Brindisi, Sassari, Novara, Genoa, Parma, Pavia, Padua, Fiumicino and Civitavecchia. Two foreign cities, Antwerp and Barcelona, have also activated it.
Mapping
The first action to be taken is to map the neighborhood’s over-80 year olds. Knocking door to door and collecting the personal data of the elderly person in an electronic database, his health and social conditions, that is, whether she lives alone or not and if she has relatives to rely on in case of need – explains Penza -. According to the needs a permanent personalized intervention is planned which may include the assistance of a doctor, a nurse and a social worker, telephone monitoring, weekly or monthly home visitsdelivery of groceries and medicines, preparation of meals, handling of paperwork, accompaniment to the doctor, search for a caregiver, enrollment in a day center and so on. It is not the heat itself that causes death but social isolation We need to make sure that lonely and vulnerable elderly people know where to turn if they feel bad, underlines the volunteer from the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Entertainment in the square
A simple gesture like a phone call to wish you a birthday or ask if you need food or water can make a huge difference. Among the initiatives to foster links also the organization of entertainment events in the square. Anyone can apply to become a volunteer: building janitors, neighbours, parish priests, doctors, merchants, associations, young people, including the elderly in good health.
Penza rattles off the numbers: The elderly activists, who in turn can be beneficiaries of the interventions, are 5,680. While the over 80s taken care of overall in these 19 years are 38,705. In each area involved in the program a doctor, a nurse and a social worker operate. Each elderly person followed, his or her doctor and volunteers have a reference number to call to activate the specific Penza proximity network.
A proximity network that saves the NHS
All the Municipalities of our country are invited to replicate the protection strategy Long live the elderly. For information, just send an email to [email protected] (the website Vivaglianziani.it). A study by the University of Tor Vergata, published in 2021, found an increase in the death rate due to heat waves on average higher than 50% in the districts of Rome where there is no monitoring service compared to the neighboring ones where it is operational.
Thanks to a social network of proximity around frail elderly people, the National Health Service can save resources: The use of hospitalization is reduced by about 15% and that of residential facilities by about 20% emphasizes Penza. The Community of Sant’Egidio makes two appeals. The first to the Government, to quickly approve the implementing decrees of the enabling law 33 of 2023 which simplifies current policies for assistance for the elderly (strengthening home care). The second to the Municipalities, to take a census of frail elderly people in the area so that they can intervene promptly in the event of floods, heat waves, epidemics and other disasters.
The anti-isolation advice
The association this year has produced ten tips aimed at all citizens to combat the isolation of the elderly. Here they are: if mail piles up in the elderly person’s mailbox, check whether the elderly person is on vacation; if you see that its windows remain closed for too long, knock on his door; if his light or TV is always off, give him a call; if you go shopping, ask if he needs anything; if you have some free time, stop by and say hello even for no reason. In the end, if you meet an elderly person in the neighborhood: stop if you notice that he is in trouble; while talking to him if he shows signs of confusion, know that your company can be very useful; if she walks in the sun during the hottest hours of the day, advise her to take shelter; if he wears inappropriate clothes, maybe he needs help; if you’re at the supermarket or post office, look around for an old man or woman to have a chat with.
For practical advice on how to cope with high temperatures the Ministry of Health has reactivated the public utility number 1500 (from 8 to 20 every day). Several Municipalities and local health agencies also provide telephone assistance against the heat emergency. Citizens are advised to consult the portal of their Local Health Authority and Municipality to verify the activation of the dedicated number.
July 28, 2023 (change July 28, 2023 | 6:38 pm)
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