Students and seniors in Barcelona live together to fight loneliness

A programme in the Spanish city brings the young and the elderly together - to the benefit of everyone

A programme implemented in Barcelona meets the elderly with young people for mutual benefit. “Vivir y convivir” (Living and sharing) has the objective of reducing the loneliness amongst old people by facilitating their social and emotional bonds while at the same time providing students with an accommodation alternative.

During the last edition of the programme a total of 74 pairs have shared a common living space. With an average age of 87 among the elderly, more than 86% of them were women while the percentage of females amongst  the youngsters between 18 and 23 was 76. What is more, many of the pairs have already participated in previous iterations of the programme.

For those who are willing to benefit from the offer, the conditions are the following:

• Youngsters must be enrolled in a Higher Education Institution outside their city of residence and be no more than 35 years old;
• The owner of the property or the senior participant has got to be older than 65 years, living alone and capable of performing independently their daily activities. Finally, they have to be willing to share their property with the student.

The programme is managed by Roure Foundation and has been approved by Interuniversity Council of Catalonia and the City Council of Barcelona. For more information follow this link.