Home visits to people aged 75 and over
About this good practice
The outreach workers for senior citizens are called ‘antennas’. They visit the senior residents of Aalst aged 75 years and over.
Firstly, they gain trust by identifying themselves at the door and shortly explaining the purpose of their visit. They make the person feel at ease and start the conversation in an accessible way by asking questions (using a guideline). They listen actively to what the person has to say. Throughout their visit, they observe the situation and pick up non-verbal signals. They determine the focus and goal(s) of the visit depending on the assessment of the situation, condition and needs of the person. At the end, they leave behind their contact information.
The aim of the visits is to:
- trace and report healthcare needs;
- redirect to internal services / external professionals;
- provide help with small requests;
- identify where the most vulnerable senior citizens live and monitor their situation;
- make social isolation and loneliness discussable;
- map out talents and interests;
- activate and refer to activities, workshops, volunteer work…
- connect people;
- better attune the current leisure offer to the target group.
The antennas were trained to conduct these home visits. Continuous investment in further training is made, with a focus on participating in activities, workshops and projects for the age group. Lastly, they invest in building a network of partners to help them provide optimal guidance and support to the people they visit.
Resources needed
Staff working hours: 3 employees who visit the target group 4 days per week with an average of 5 visits per day.
Evidence of success
Home visits are a way of reaching a large group of senior citizens thereby detecting social isolation, loneliness and (healthcare) needs proactively. It enables the city of Aalst to reach people who are not likely to ask for help themselves.
In the first half of 2024 the antennas were able to reach out to 1400 elderly inhabitants.
The people they visit often express gratitude. They value being heard, having someone to talk to, and being offered help and assistance where needed.
Potential for learning or transfer
Challenges:
- We only have 3 antennas for a large group of residents aged 75 years or over. One of the challenges is to prioritise and determine how to reach the most vulnerable elderly inhabitants first.
- A second challenge is to tackle the issue of loneliness in a sustainable way. The current approach mainly focuses on tackling social isolation and social loneliness. We aim to extend our approach to include dealing with internal and existential loneliness. This calls for specific expertise regarding the different types of loneliness and a broad network of actors to rely on and refer to.
The system of spontaneous home visits can easily be implemented in other regions, both locally, nationally and internationally. Several municipalities in Belgium and the Netherlands already apply this practice. The municipality of Aalst developed an inspirational guide on loneliness which can be used as a ‘roadmap’ for conducting the home visits.
Further information
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Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
