“The call of loneliness”: An initiative highlights the invisible phenomenon that affects around three million older people

The ”la Caixa” Foundation has launched an initiative that highlights the importance of listening to older people experiencing loneliness. In 2025, the Always Supported programme has provided personalised support to more than 3,300 people. According to the latest study, after taking part in the programme more than 80% of participants report greater self-confidence, a better understanding of their emotions and stronger connections with friends and family. In addition, with this support, feelings of loneliness are significantly reduced, especially among those in the most vulnerable situations.

Ring ring. The phone rings. And it’s not just any call. Someone picks up on the other end. “Hello, how are you?” With this simple gesture, this question, and under the slogan “Loneliness isn’t seen, it’s felt”, the ”la Caixa” Foundation has launched an initiative to shed light on a reality that affects around three million older people in Spain. Through a telephone booth, those who answer the call can listen to the stories of Javier, Josep, María Teresa and Blanca: all of them share, on the other end of the line, their experiences of unwanted solitude and how their lives have changed after taking part in the Always Supported programme of the ”la Caixa” Foundation. In this way, the initiative aims to highlight a reality through a phone call which, in turn, becomes a call to society.

The mission of the Always Supported programme is to empower older people experiencing loneliness by placing them at the centre, as active agents of their own ageing process, and supporting them in their pursuit of a fulfilling life by fostering relationships based on wellbeing and mutual support. The programme also encourages the involvement of citizens and the wider community to build partnerships and work in networks. The aim is to raise public awareness and reduce situations of loneliness among older adults.

From a community-based approach, the Always Supported programme has provided personalised support to more than 3,300 older people across Spain and Portugal in 2025, 32% more than during the same period last year. This has been achieved through local social organisations, using an innovative methodology that is constantly evolving in collaboration with communities and local authorities.

In its more than 10 years of history, it has established itself as a pioneering project both in addressing loneliness and in its model of intervention. According to the latest study, within the first six months of participation, individuals show an ability to reduce feelings of loneliness, whether social, emotional or existential. More than 80% of participants report increased confidence, feel more capable of coping with loneliness and actively work on their personal growth. Eighty-five per cent of them gain a better understanding of their emotions and strengthen connections with friends and family. In addition, 95% of participants who were in poor emotional health when they joined the programme perceive an improvement in their state of mind. 

It is worth noting that feelings of loneliness are significantly reduced, especially among those in the most vulnerable situations (such as bereavement, carers, people going through life transitions like retirement, or living in poverty).

"The call of loneliness": an experience to pause and listen

To raise awareness of the phenomenon of loneliness, the ”la Caixa” Foundation has launched an experience to mark the International Day of Older Persons (1 October), created in collaboration with four older adults who have taken part in the Always Supported programme. The ringing from the phone booth invites society to listen, to reflect and to act. It is a phone call, but also a social call: a sound that encourages us to pause for a moment to reflect, to understand, and to live in a more present, empathetic and caring way. Those who take part in the experience, either in the telephone booth currently located in Granada or through the online experience, can leave their own messages, which will then be shared with older people experiencing loneliness.

“Loneliness feels a lot like the pain of being ill. It wears you down. You feel you’re good for nothing, you do less and less… as if you were disappearing for others and for yourself,” says Josep in the call. “Knowing there’s someone who listens to you, who cares about you, who asks ‘How are you?’ from the heart… saved me from sinking. This was the hand that kept me afloat when I couldn’t see any way forward in my life,” shares Javier.

“The Always Supported programme helped me realise that I’d been shrinking and had forgotten who I was. Now I’ve learnt to love myself again. To put myself first, to take care of myself, just as I’d always cared for others,” says Blanca. “I regained the feeling of not being isolated or shut away. Of existing again,” adds María Teresa.

“The track record of the Always Supported programme has shown us that listening is an essential skill for social transformation. Knowing there’s someone you can rely on lifts people’s spirits, especially those experiencing loneliness. That’s why, at the ”la Caixa” Foundation, we remain committed to supporting them in order to help improve their wellbeing,” stresses Marc Simón, assistant general manager of the ”la Caixa” Foundation.

Fostering social relationships for a full life with meaning and purpose

The increase in life expectancy, new forms of family living and different ways of organising time give rise to an increasingly complex reality, bringing with it new challenges, among them, loneliness. The programme for the Elderly of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, with over one hundred years of history, aims to address these emerging challenges in later life.

It has been scientifically proven that tackling loneliness and improving social relationships brings powerful benefits: greater psychological resilience in the face of loss, illness or chronic stress; improved health, emotional wellbeing and life expectancy; enhanced quality of life; and a reduced likelihood of illness and dementia. Likewise, the programme has shown that fostering social relationships makes it possible to lead a full life with meaning and purpose.

At present, the Always Supported programme is being implemented in 13 regions across Spain through 13 organisations in Jerez, Murcia, Pamplona, Granada, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Sabadell, Terrassa, Tortosa, Girona, Tàrrega, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Lleida, as well as in Lisbon and Porto. The programme’s development is made possible thanks to the involvement of local social organisations rooted in the community, more than 200 professionals and 260 volunteers. Altogether, this year it has delivered over 540 complementary community activities, reaching 12,000 people.

The ”la Caixa” Foundation has also launched the postgraduate course in Care for People in Situations of Loneliness at the Universitat de Vic (UVic-UCC), aimed at professionals in the social and healthcare fields, to foster comprehensive intervention and an integrated approach to loneliness. It is the first programme of its kind in Spanish to address loneliness from a global and multidisciplinary perspective.

The academic programme offers a broad view of loneliness, exploring the following key areas: “The emotional dimension, with an inward focus on the individual; the aspect of social relationships and community belonging; existential loneliness; and it concludes with an examination of loneliness in specific contexts, such as prisons or care homes,” explains Elena Fernández Gamarra, a psychology graduate with a master’s degree in Clinical Gerontology and academic coordinator of the postgraduate course.

A “listening corner” to raise awareness of loneliness

To mark the International Day of Older Persons, the ”la Caixa” Foundation and the local organisations that run the programme have organised an awareness-raising initiative. They will create a meeting space, a “listening corner”, a place for dialogue where people who have taken part in the Always Supported programme will share their experiences of loneliness with anyone who wishes to hear them. In addition, participants will also be able to talk with the programme’s professionals. Along the same lines, other activities will be held to celebrate the day.

These awareness-raising initiatives highlight the importance of social relationships and bring visibility to loneliness as a challenge for our society in two ways: it can affect anyone, regardless of age, and at the same time each individual can make a small contribution to improving the lives of those around them who feel lonely. 

These activities are an example of the various actions promoted throughout the year to raise awareness, identify people experiencing loneliness and weave that network of support and relationships, always in collaboration with community associations and local institutions, thereby responding to society’s needs. For example, during the summer months, initiatives are launched aimed at older people who find themselves alone over the holiday period.