Over a third of Swiss seniors suffer from loneliness as volunteer shortage worsens
Loneliness affects many seniors, lack of volunteers
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Over a third of Swiss seniors suffer from loneliness as volunteer shortage worsens
More than a third (37%) of people aged 85 and over in Switzerland suffer from loneliness - around 90,000 seniors, according to Pro Senectute’s Observatoire vieillesse. Loss of mobility is often accompanied by a shrinking social network.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Français
fr
La solitude affecte beaucoup d’aînés, manque de bénévoles
Original
The survey shows that those aged 85 and over are significantly more affected by loneliness than younger seniors. Among those aged 65-74, the proportion is around 24%, while it’s just over 25% among those aged 75-84.
“Older people often have to cope with the death of loved ones, leading to a shrinking social network. They also face more health problems,” explains Alexander Widmer, member of the Board of Directors of Pro Senectute Switzerland.
“However, loneliness should not be confused with being alone,” says the organisation. Being alone is not necessarily a source of suffering.
Nonetheless, loneliness is a risk: “Older people who feel lonely not only have a shorter life expectancy, but also suffer more frequently from high blood pressure and depression. They are less active, more stressed, and more often suffer from dementia,” says Widmer.
Switzerland faces a shortage of volunteers for the elderly
Pro Senectute faces the challenge of reaching those affected. It’s not easy for them to talk about it and ask for help. The organisation encourages them to turn to specialist organisations, as well as to family members, friends, and neighbours.
Pro Senectute encourages senior citizens to make use of its daily assistance and home visit services. To achieve this, the foundation also relies on the support of volunteers. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find volunteers. “We invite interested individuals to come forward and make a difference,” says Widmer.
Translated from French by DeepL/sp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Over a quarter of Swiss Catholics consider leaving the church
This content was published on
In Switzerland 27% of Catholics have thought about leaving the church, according to a survey by the Sotomo research centre.
This content was published on
Following the Credit Suisse debacle, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) is adapting its organisation.
This content was published on
The Swiss Armed Forces are training their fighter jets in Bern to fly from a civilian base. The exercise at Bern Airport will last until Wednesday.
Plans materialise for new particle accelerator in Geneva
This content was published on
Preparations for a huge new particle accelerator in Geneva have reached a milestone. After several years of work, a feasibility study for the project has now been finalised.
This content was published on
The value of frozen Russian assets in Switzerland currently stands at CHF7.4 billion ($8.4 billion), the Swiss government announced on Tuesday.
This content was published on
The number of business start-ups in Switzerland accelerated in the first three months of the year, with entrepreneurs being particularly dynamic in Central Switzerland, Basel and Geneva.
Most Swiss authorities want to ban Nazi symbols in public
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss political parties, cantons and associations want to ban the use and distribution of Nazi symbols in public.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.