Calp City Council has launched an initiative to find out how local elderly people are doing and if they are in need of help in any way.
The initiative is coordinated by the "Mare de Déu de les Neus" civic centre, where almost 3,000 older people are currently registered, and will be articulated through a support network. From the centre itself, contacts will be distributed to a group of people so that they can call the elderly people and ask them how they are doing and if they have any needs.
The service has started its work today, and the aim is that all elderly people living alone in Calp should receive a phone call every few days to find out about their situation. In this way, the City Council wants to ensure that no elderly person living in the city is left without help or support.
The main problem that now arises is the care of the foreign population due to language restrictions. From the town hall, they approach several associations of foreigners to look for volunteers who can join this initiative.
In the event that elderly people, most of whom live alone, need a service that has once been identified by telephone calls, coordination would be established with other municipal services that are already functioning in order to find a solution. One of these services is the one that provides civil protection to buy food and medicines for those elderly people who are alone and cannot move.
Another initiative is the possibility to get psychological help by phone and Skype, which will also be available to these people who can be affected by loneliness and confinement to a much greater extent.