"In Sardinia, over 120,000 elderly people live alone. Let's not abandon them during the holidays."
This is the appeal launched by the National Association of Seniors and Pensioners of Confartigianato in the run-up to Christmas, which recalls how "the isolation of elderly people increases their fragility."
"For many elderly Sardinians," says ANAP President Giovanni Mellino , "the holidays mean increased loneliness and related problems. One of these, for example, is depression, which worsens quality of life, compromising daily independence and undermining physical health already slowed by natural aging . On the contrary, relationships represent one of the most important protective factors against cognitive and physical decline."
According to recent analyses carried out by the Research Office of
Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, based on ISTAT data, the situation
Sardinia's demographics confirm an increasingly marked evolution towards aging and domestic loneliness.
Today on the island there are approximately 421,000 people over 65 years of age,
a number destined to grow steadily in the coming years.
Demographic surveys show that between 28% and 32% of seniors
Sardinians live alone, a percentage that places the Region among those
Italian women with the highest incidence of loneliness in old age.
This means, ANAP highlights, that in 2025, over 120,000 elderly people—one in three—will face the challenges of daily living without a partner. The study also demonstrates how this phenomenon is increasing, fueled by well-known trends: the lengthening average lifespan, the declining birth rate, and the progressive decline in multigenerational families. According to projections, by 2030, the number of people over 65 living alone in Sardinia could reach 140,000, an increase of approximately 10% compared to today.
Hence the appeal of Giovanni Mellino and Anap: «For those over 65
and vulnerable categories, this period risks accentuating isolation
and be a crucial moment in their lives. All together
we can make a difference and defeat perhaps the greatest disease
of our time, precisely solitude."
For Anap Confartigianato Sardegna it takes little to do a lot: a
phone call, a call using digital technologies, a
visit, even a simple "how are you?" helps to live better and to
feel an active part of a community. But " it is also essential that the
Institutions, Law Enforcement, and the Volunteer World
promote this appeal also towards the various principals
territorial: the Municipalities have done a lot, volunteering has been in
front line to help the elderly in difficulty and delivering them
basic necessities. This is why their commitment is commendable."
(Unioneonline)