ISRAA, the regional public provider of senior care services based in Treviso (Veneto), has launched an initiative involving seven municipalities to examine family loneliness, service accessibility, and autonomy focusing on older persons over 65. The project also includes the participation of four French students from IPC – Facultés Libres de Philosophie et de Psychologie in Paris, through an Erasmus+ mobility programme supported by the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD), which holds consultative status with the United Nations.
The study focuses on several key dimensions of aging: proximity to social and healthcare services and essential shops, quality of neighborhood relations, housing features (such as the importance of elevators), transportation availability, and access to green spaces. Most importantly, it tackles the growing challenge of loneliness, which currently affects 45% of the approximately 150,000 people over the age of 75 in the province of Treviso.
The research will continue throughout July and aims to gather at least 300 completed questionnaires by the end of the month, primarily through QR code access. To support older respondents who may be less comfortable with digital tools, municipalities, pharmacies, and local associations have been mobilized. In addition to Treviso (with neighborhood-specific data collection), the participating municipalities include Mogliano, Spresiano, Carbonera, Breda, Ponzano, and Villorba.
“The objective is to enhance the autonomy of elderly residents, particularly in the context of an aging population,” explains Mauro Michielon, President of ISRAA. The questionnaire targets three age brackets—65–74, 75–84, and 85 and over—and contains 23 questions designed to assess living conditions, access to social and health services, levels of social connectedness (with a focus on combating isolation), and personal awareness of the aging process.
The project was officially presented at ISRAA’s headquarters in Treviso in the presence of President Mauro Michielon, the Mayor of Treviso Mario Conte, the President of the Provincial Association of Pharmacies Giuseppe Losego, ISRAA’s Head of Innovation and Development Oscar Zanutto, and the four young researchers currently engaged in fieldwork.
