Lonely? Let’s unite! News! | August 2023
August 21, 2023

Everyone has to deal with loneliness from time to time. A lot of elderly people within the Euregion Meuse-Rhine (EMR) also report feeling lonely. Not everyone experiences loneliness as negative, but a persistent lack of social contacts or emotional connection, however, increases the likelihood of health risks.

The euPrevent Profile project aimed to contribute to preventing and combating loneliness in older people. On 31 August 2023, we will conclude the project. We mapped out many handles and tools to work preventively on and around loneliness.

Do you want to get started with one or more of our deliverables? Do you have questions about loneliness? Or would you like support on loneliness? Then be sure to contact your region’s project partner!

Let’s unite! The deliverables of euPrevent Profile

1. Literature review
To tie in with current events on the topic of loneliness, two comprehensive literature reviews were conducted with the aim of determining prevalence and, on the other hand, discovering which interventions are effective in addressing or preventing loneliness.

Read more

2. Online overview ‘good practices’
The online overview is a compilation of various good practices in the field of loneliness aimed at preventing and/or combating loneliness in older people.

Read more

3. Training for professionals and nonprofessionals
This manual is a useful tool that provides a theoretical and practical background for people organising a training module for professionals (e.g. nurses) and non-professionals (e.g. volunteers) to inform them about loneliness in older people and to provide them with useful tools.

Read more

4. Guide on intergenerational exchange
This guide provides an overview of opportunities to encourage intergenerational exchange.

Read more

5. Theatre play ‘Starlight’
Theatre is a low-threshold way to create or raise awareness about loneliness. ‘Starlight’ is a theatre package created by Flemish director Luc Stevens. It is the abridged version of his theatre play ‘Starlight and Apple Pie’. The package is designed so that interested organisations can use it independently.

Read more

6. E-health applications
The number of e-Health applications has increased in recent years. These can include digital tools or (smart) applications and can have different goals, such as improving physical or mental health or providing information.

Read more

7. Euregional Health Atlas
For several years a website has existed with specific information on research for the benefit of projects in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion (EMR). For the euPrevent PROFILE project, information is available on loneliness.

Read more

8. Roadmap to guidelines for professionals
Numerous guidelines are already available for working with older people, whether or not in relation to the issue of loneliness. Therefore, the choice was made not to develop a new guideline but to highlight existing ones. This roadmap provides an overview of existing guidelines and helps you choose the most appropriate one.

Read more

Regional contact details

1. UM
Maastricht University
Netherlands
Frans Verhey, Niels Janssen en Marjolein de Vugt (NL):
info@alzheimercentrumlimburg.nl
niels.janssen@maastrichtuniversity.nl

2. GGD
GGD Zuid-Limburg
Netherlands
Tel. 0031-(0)88-880 50 00
E-mail: https://www.ggdzl.nl/contact/contactformulier/
Website: https://www.ggdzl.nl/

3. Logo Limburg vzw
Logo Limburg vzw
Belgium (Flanders)
logo@logolimburg.be
++32 11 15 12 30

4. Bagso
BAGSO (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen)
Germany
Silke Leicht
https://www.bagso.de/
leicht@bagso.de

5. ULiège
University of Liège
Belgium (Wallonia)
Unité de Psychologie de la Sénéscence (UPsySen)
Quartier Agora – Place des Orateurs 1
Bâtiment Trifacultaire B33
400 Liège (Sart-Tilman)
upsysen@uliege.be
+32 4 366 28 46 / +32 4 366 20 81 (Secrétariat)
www.senescence.uliege.be

6. MC
Mutualité Chrétienne
Belgium (Wallonia)
Loïc Jacob
loic.jacob@mc.be

7. euPrevent
communication@euprevent.eu
www.euprevent.eu