Older people are a very heterogeneous group whose diversity continues to increase. They have many resources (which are often underestimated), but at the same time experience different forms of vulnerability: vulnerabilities that place individuals or groups at high risk of experiencing negative consequences related to sources of stress and the inability to cope with adverse events. With regard to old age, three main forms of vulnerability can be identified, which include health (fragility), economic situation (precariousness and poverty) and social integration (e.g. isolation, loneliness). These dimensions also relate to the three pillars of a WHO-defined policy framework on active ageing. This creates an urgent need for political authorities to adopt policies and programmes that promote the health, safety and participation of older people in society.

Our research in the Social Inclusion Cluster

Our focus is on a specific and relatively overlooked form of vulnerability in the third and fourth ages: relational vulnerability.

Social isolation and loneliness are often identified as age-related problems, and their prevalence is often given too much importance. For example, analyses from Ticino showed that only 10% of 65- to 79-year-olds and 20% of those over 80 suffer from loneliness. A phenomenon affecting a minority, but still concerning around 10,000 older adults in Ticino alone. At a national level, it could be inferred that almost 200,000 people aged 65 and older are affected by this problem. Furthermore, it can be assumed that the problems of social exclusion in old age will continue to worsen in the coming decades. This is due to the transition of baby boomers into the third age – who, on average, have fewer children than their parents’ generation – and due to individualisation.