Many elderly people experience involuntary loneliness – among other things as a result of their shrinking social network. Now Erene Svensson from Växjö has created an app to help seniors get in touch:
– Have a coffee somewhere – it doesn’t have to be any weirder than that.
Every third person aged 65 and older lives alone, according to figures from Statistics Norway (SCB). And surveys show that one in ten people aged 65 to 74 have felt lonely in the past two weeks. The association SPF Seniors works actively on a national level to, together with the government, Riksdag and authorities, prevent the elderly from being isolated against their will.
Got the idea for the senior app
Erene Svensson, who had previously been involved in the SPF seniors, got the idea to create an app to counteract involuntary loneliness. The idea was born in 2017 when Erene read an article in a local newspaper about how to work with visual aids to counteract language barriers among newcomers.
– It got me fired up and thinking that you can apply that to us seniors too, to change our language and our communication, she says.
Together with the district chairman of the association, she set the project in motion and on Thursday the Mötesplatsen app was launched. In the app, seniors can talk on the phone, chat or register for physical events. In addition, there are various groups where you can connect with others who have similar interests.
A coffee can be enough
– It can be about such simple things as meeting and taking a walk or having a coffee somewhere. It doesn’t have to be more significant than that, says Erene.
And Erene herself has already made a new friend through the app.
– We talked for an hour and 40 minutes and became friends on Facebook. Last summer they got married and I was able to see their wedding pictures. Very nice, she says.