LIVING

I registered with hacesfalta, a volunteering website, and found the address of the Catalan Federation of Social volunteering (Federació Catalana de Voluntariat Social). On my way to visit them, by coincidence, I came across exactly what I was looking for—the offices of Amics de la Gent Gran (Friends of the Elderly), a non-profit organisation committed to relieving social isolation and loneliness amongst the elderly.

They have sister groups in countries including France, Switzerland, Ireland, the US, Mexico and Canada, and here in Catalunya, they receive funding from sources such as the Spanish and Catalan governments, savings banks and private donations. At present, the volunteers of Amics support 872 old people in Catalunya in varying capacities, the most common of which is home visits.

THE HARSH REALITY—WHY VOLUNTEERS ARE BADLY NEEDED

The increase in life expectancy has meant that never before have people been living so long in such great numbers. In Catalunya, according to Amics de la Gent Gran, there are 1,265,442 people over the age of 65 (16.8 percent of the total population) and 250,000 live alone. Of that number, 150,000 suffer from loneliness. In my work with Amics, I have met many women who used to sit in their room crying, mourning the deaths of loved ones or overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness or boredom.

Another huge issue for the elderly is health. Many in this age group have a number of such issues, both physical and mental, that leave them unable to attend day centres or take part in social events. A significant number suffer from depressive symptoms and aspects of senile dementia, and receive only basic economic resources. Ten percent of older people in Barcelona live in houses constructed before 1900.

At the time of writing, 69 elderly people were on a waiting list hoping to be assigned an Amics volunteer to start visiting them and the Catalan Social Services department is continually referring more people to the charity.

WHY VOLUNTEER?

For me, volunteering is never a one-sided relationship. I have volunteered with elderly people before, in the UK, and I do it for many reasons. Mainly because I have a huge sympathy for and empathy with them. I have seen how completely alone and forgotten many of them are.