Isabel Pieper and Claudia Rodríguez drafted a document that encourages the creation of spaces for older adults, using the university as the main guiding principle.
Isabel Pieper Miranda, as part of her residency in Family Medicine with a specialization in Geriatrics in the Department of Family Medicine at the School of Medicine and under the supervision of Claudia Rodríguez Torres, director of the Center on Aging at the same school, developed an implementation manual designed to facilitate collaboration between social clubs for older adults and the university academic community.
Key findings:
- The methodology used: The manual was developed using a qualitative phenomenological approach in three stages: a rapid literature review in PubMed and LILACS (32 articles identified, 5 included), a focus group with 8 older adults from a social club in downtown Santiago, and 5 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders—two representatives from the Ministry of Health, a family physician, a university dean, and a geriatrician.
- The demographic figure that explains the urgency: In Chile, the total dependency ratio will drop from 5.3 working-age people for every older person in 2022 to just 2.4 working-age people for every person aged 65 or older in 2050, while the population aged 60 and older will exceed 6.9 million by that time (versus the 4.5 million projected for 2030).
- The figure on social distancing: According to the 2019 Survey on Quality of Life in Old Age, nearly 40% of older adults report feeling a lack of companionship, and one in four feels isolated or socially excluded—figures that underscore the need for spaces such as social clubs.
- The figure on participation in organizations: Only 35.5% of those aged 60 and older reported having participated in a community organization during the past 12 months, with neighborhood associations (33%) being the most common form, followed by religious organizations (24%) and peer groups (21%).
- The four analytical categories identified: cross-sectoral collaboration and promotion, access and inclusion, learning, and policies and rights, which form the framework for both the findings and the final proposed model.
- The finding regarding bidirectionality: The participation of older adults should not be limited to their role as beneficiaries; rather, they should be included as active contributors in the design, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives, which enhances the relevance of programs and changes social perceptions of aging.
- The finding regarding barriers: The main limitations to effective participation are the diversity of older adults' health and socioeconomic conditions, as well as physical and geographical barriers such as the location of campuses and the lack of adequate transportation.
- The finding on intergenerational learning: Interaction between older adults and students produces measurable transformative effects—greater well-being and a sense of social purpose among older adults, and the development of empathy, critical thinking, and social awareness among students.
- The Final Result: Based on the analysis, a "Decalogue for the Implementation of Social Clubs for Older Adults in Academic Institutions" was developed, in line with the WHO's Decade of Healthy Aging 2021–2030.