Description
The promoter supports 35 elders in their homes, living in deprivation and isolation, all weekends of the year. It is a professional volunteering project that takes hot meals, affection and companionship to the elderly of Coimbra and Leiria (central Portugal). With this project, the promoter intends to increase this number to 60, as well as to involve more volunteers in its activities. The project will foster solidarity between generations through three intervention areas: action against malnutrition (engaging 250 volunteers who take hot meals on weekends to 60 elders in Coimbra and Leiria, as well as affection and companionship to the elderly who live without any support); monitoring of the health state of these elders (creation of a health care team, made up of nurses and doctors working pro bono); and improvement of their emotional well-being (psychological support, personal image care and other socio-cultural activities).
Summary of project results
The population of the old neighborhood of Coimbra is characterised by a higher proportion of elderly people who are facing a harsh social and economic context (cost of living increase and progressive reduction of social benefits; poor social image of the elderly, i.e. the elderly regarded as unproductive individuals; exclusion - discrimination, solidarity and intergenerational deficits); lack of family support (inability of families to provide support; family rejection); insufficient social responses (social institutions on the ground have limited financial and human resources and the services provided - food, personal hygiene and housing - are just partial answers); quality of life deficit (physical, social and psychological isolation; weakened health; food shortages; bad living conditions; lack of support networks). The situation is very similar in the city of Leiria and therefore activities were extended to that city as well. The project has promoted the social inclusion of the elderly people via food, healthcare and general well-being support and to achieve that 314 staff members and volunteers were trained (including 114 new volunteers mobilised by the project) and 7 new volunteer teams have been set. 29 new partnerships have been established with other entities, public and private, in Coimbra and Leiria to deal with these issues in an integrated and holistic way. A campaign was launched in the two cities to raise awareness of the community to the situation of the elderly and the care they need. The capacity-building reported by the NGO includes improvement of the staff knowledge and experience on elderly issues and on fundraising, mobilization and management of volunteers and new communication skills to interact with the community.
Summary of bilateral results