The intervention Together against Loneliness aims to connect older migrants with each other and with there environment and thereby decrease feelings of loneliness. Together against Loneliness seems to be successful. Yvonne Witter spoke with Nina Conkova, Researcher at Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing, who provides insights into the intervention.
First, Nina explains how the intervention came about. “We noticed that there are few interventions specifically targeting older adults with a migration background, despite them feeling lonelier than older adults without a migration background. In 2021, we started in Utrecht with two groups of older women and organized ten sessions per group. This was a pilot to test the initiative. The sessions happened to be very valuable,” says Nina. “We saw the participants grow and flourish.”
Trust
Stichting RCOAK (Roomsch Catholyk Oude Armenkantoor) wanted to expand these kinds of sessions. “Thanks to their subsidy, we were able to work with five organizations in 2023 to reach more older migrants across the Netherlands,” explains Nina. The following organizations participated: Stichting Attifa and Al-Amal in Utrecht, Marhaba/the Klokhuis Wijkcentrum in Amersfoort, ProFor in Amsterdam, and Spior in Rotterdam. The pilot taught us the importance of working in co-creation, this means working together with the participants in deciding on and organizing all activities done during the sessions. We also learned that a closed setting is beneficial for building trust. It allows participants to be themselves and speak freely about what they find important. Co-creation truly responds to the needs of the participants.”
Friendship
Nina and colleagues from Leyden Academy also conducted participatory research into the impact of the sessions. They found that in all groups, themes such as healthy lifestyles, faith, and stress were strongly present, and participants enjoyed discussing them. Furthermore, they found that participants greatly benefited from the excursions that took place; these strongly benefited establishing trustworthy connections. For example, during a bus tour, beach walk, or museum visit, the older migrants get to know each other in a different way. “Some women now meet outside of the sessions; they arrange to meet in the neighborhood. Genuine friendships have formed,” says Nina. In addition to excursions, there are also physical activities and creative sessions, such as painting with reflection, clay modeling, or creating mood boards.
Personal growth and flourishing
The research also shows that participants feel better as a result of participating in the sessions. There is personal growth. Participants find it easier to express themselves and communicate their needs. At the same time, they receive guidance on setting boundaries. Nina gives an example. “If you are actually too tired to babysit grandchildren for four days but do it anyway because you find it difficult to say ‘no’, we help you with that. The group leaders motivate participants to reflect on this and provide the support needed to kindly express that you would rather babysit for one day and keep the other days free for other things, such as these sessions. It’s nice when people dare to take that step.”
A different approach for men
Nina is proud to see women who came to the sessions feeling down leave with a smile and a renewed desire to engage in activities. “We saw this happen in all groups.” Furthermore, Nina finds it amazing that they have reached women who were not well versed in venturing outside. The groups consist of seven to twelve participants. So far, only women have participated. Nina hopes to reach men soon. “That will likely require a different approach,” she says. A male project leader can help attract more men, and we will likely also come up with and organize different types of activities.” They want to start with this in Rotterdam.”
Skilled project leader
An important success factor is having a skilled project leader. This person must be able to connect people and have patience in reaching them. Some degree of cultural sensitivity is also required. The women come from various countries, such as Morocco, Syria, and Eritrea. While they speak Arabic, there are cultural differences; think of traditions and eating habits. “You have to be able to deal with these differences well. Some participants grow into the role of ‘volunteering group leader’. They actively help guide the group or take a training to be able to independently guide groups.”
Conference ‘Together against Loneliness’
Based on the research and practical experiences, Nina and colleagues have written a manual. At the seminar ‘Together against Loneliness’, taking place on Thursday afternoon, February 29, 2024, Leyden Academy and Stichting RCOAK will share the experiences and lessons learned from the intervention with a wide audience and distribute the manual. Thereby, participants can learn more or start with Together against Loneliness themselves. RCOAK provides financial resources for this. They emphasize that such an intervention not only requires financial investment but also time and energy. In return, the intervention yields a lot: increasing the well-being of elderly adults with a migration background.
For more information, visit www.leydenacademy.nl
Written by Yvonne Witter from ZorgZaamWonen: A national knowledge platform about housing, well-being and care, which connects the physical and social domains (the stones and the people).
