At OnTurtle we join the fight promoted by the foundation Amics de la Gent Gran against loneliness and social marginalisation of our elderly, one of the groups most affected by the pandemic. For this reason, we have donated EUR 12,874.15 to this association of volunteers which has more than thirty years of experience. The action is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility programme, through which each year we donate a percentage of our profits to a different entity, chosen by our employees. Previously, donations have also been made to the Red Cross or to La Casa de los Xuklis, promoted by AFANOC.
Joining efforts to continue supporting
During 2020, Amics de la Gent Gran offered support to more than 2,700 elderly people thanks to the selfless work of 2,689 volunteers, and 549 socialisation and awareness activities were carried out in 108 municipalities. Albert Quiles, managing director of Amics de la Gent Gran, said that for the organisation “it is an honour to be the beneficiary of this great contribution from OnTurtle”. According to Quiles, the donation gives them “a boost to continue fighting against the loneliness of the elderly, to accompany them and ensure that this coming Christmas they can celebrate in good company”.
For his part, Josep Guaus, CEO of OnTurtle, said that “we are proud to be able to carry out this action for another year, collaborating with an organisation that shows our elders the dignity they deserve and accompanies them, especially in times like the ones we have experienced, in which their work has been very necessary”. “We identify with their action as we also accompany our customers on their routes on a daily basis”, he concludes.
The loneliness of the virus
The current COVID-19 pandemic has been identified as a possible trigger for increased feelings of loneliness and social isolation among the elderly due to both limited mobility and limited contact with loved ones, friends, and leisure and free time activities.
According to the report “The impact of COVID-19 on the feeling of undesired loneliness of older people“, published by the Loneliness Observatory on February 24, 2020, almost half (49%) of the respondents claimed that their feeling of loneliness had not changed and remained the same, and 41% claimed that it increased during the state of alarm. In addition, among those who indicated that it increased, 43% associated it with the decrease, limitation or absence of contacts.
