This document summarizes a presentation about reducing social isolation among elderly residents in Barcelona through the use of a digital platform called Vincles. It discusses how isolation increases health risks for seniors and the growing number of elderly people living alone in Barcelona. The Vincles platform aims to foster local social networks through a tablet/mobile app that allows video calls, messages, calendar sharing and photos/videos to connect isolated seniors with others in their "proximity circle." An initial pilot with 20 people saw promising results and lessons learned around design, onboarding assistance and indicators of success. The goal is to scale the approach to help thousands more elderly residents of Barcelona feel less isolated through digital community building.

2. The European Connected Health Alliance
(ECHAlliance)
2nd Health & Wellness vertical programme
The Mobile World Congress 2015,
Barcelona 3 – 4 March 2015.

3. From experimentation to routine: how to implement?
Tuesday 3 March
Ramon Sanahuja
Director de Projectes d’Innovació Social
Ajuntament de Barcelona

4. The challenge

5. What is the problem?
Where is it a problem?
When is it a problem?
How big is the problem?
Why is it a problem?
Is the problem changing or evolving?
The challenge

6. Meet Ramon

7. Isolation

8. The challenge
“ I never though that the
worst of growing older were
being alone”
Concepció. 92 years old.

9. Effects of isolation on health
• 3,5 more possibility to enter in elderly care home
• 1,9 more possibility to visit the doctor.
• 1,3 more possibility to have an Emergency
Comparing elders who live alone with elders who do not live alone:
• 3,4 more possibility to have depression.
• 1,9 more possibility to develop dementia during the following 15
years

10. Data and tendencies Life expectancy in Barcelona. 2002 to 2012.
76.7 76.9
77.7 77.1
78.3 78.3
79 79.2 79.2
80
79.9
83.7 83.8
84.8 84.4 85.4 85.2 85.2 85.3
85.9 86.2 85.7
70
72
74
76
78
80
82
84
86
88
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Years
Esperança vida Homes Esperança vida Dones

11. Data and tendencies. People over 85 years who live alone
0
2.000
4.000
6.000
8.000
10.000
12.000
14.000
16.000
18.000
20.000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Dones Homes

12. Data and tendencies. Isolation. People over 75 living alone
44,593
54,951
58,164 58,193
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
2001 2005 2011 2014

13. The challenge
Data from 2014
• 345.969 over 65 year in Barcelona
• 22 % of overall population.
• 88.606 over 65 living alone
• Among them 58.193 over 75 years living alone
Source: Statistics Office City of Barcelona

14. The vision

15. Strength and foster the proximity trust networks.
Reduce sense of isolation.
Increase quality of life.
Scale of up to 20.000 people in Barcelona (1/3 of people over 75
who live alone). Public policy together with the third sector.
Transfer to any city: a world with Vincles would be a better world.
The vision: outcomes

16. Over 64 or more
With chronic
condition.
Disability
Isoleted or users of social
services
The vision

17. The Idea

18. Platform VINCLES

19. The idea: foster trust networks / Proximity Circle

20. Care Networking
Business /
professional
Networking
Social Networking Care Networking
Source: Vicky Cammack (Tize)

21. Future implementation

22. The journey so far

23. We do not shrink, … facing the technological challenge!

24. Pilot with 20 people: Inicial Visit

29. The idea: foster trust networks / Proximity Circle

30. Tablet – Mobil, Beta version of the APP

31. Starting to build the trust network

32. Starting to build the trust network

33. Starting to build the trust network

34. 4 basic functionalities

35. Functionalities: Video Call

36. Functionalities: Video Call

37. Functionalities: Video Call

38. Functionalities: Video Call

39. Functionalities: Messages

40. Functionalities: Messages

41. Functionalities: Messages

42. Functionalities: Calendar

43. Functionalities: Calendar

44. Functionalities: Calendar

45. Functionalities: Photos and video

46. Functionalities: Photos and video

47. Functionalities: Photos and video

48. People of the trust network - Smartphone

49. People of the trust network - Smartphone

50. People of the trust network - Smartphone

51. People of the trust network - Smartphone

52. Lessons learned: trial error methodology
• Potential for Youngsters
• Elders are more active as expected!
• Preloading is key
• The Shadow. F. ex. Set Agenda apointments
• Design is good! : Not being experience in technology it is
not a barrier
• Keep it simple

53. Lessons learned
• Need for more indicators
• Better narrative at the beginning
• Need to learn people interest and past: generate interest!
• First meeting at home is key: great potential for setting up
the network
• Its seems to reduce the sense of isolation

54. Vincles Alliance: participation Conference

55. Business partner: IT operator

56. Mayor Challange award by Bloomberg Philantorpies

57. Mayor Challange award by Bloomberg Philantorpies

58. Mayor Challange award by Bloomberg Philantorpies

59. Social Innovation
Collaborative Care
Societal Impact & Business
Model
Customers & Citizens
User Centered Design
PPPP
Smart Citizens
Scalability New Infrastructure

60. … from Barcelona
Thank you!