A new era in elderly care
The City Council of Madrid has taken a significant step in the fight against unwanted loneliness among the elderly with the launch of Paloma 2.0, a programme that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect and prevent this social issue. This ambitious project, which will be implemented starting in September, aims to make 377,000 calls to citizens over 65 years old, thus expanding its reach compared to the initial plan that only considered those over 75 years old.
The Paloma 2.0 tool not only identifies feelings of loneliness; it will also provide information about the resources available in the municipality to assist those affected. According to the delegate for Social Policies, Family and Equality, José Fernández, this technology will be able to engage in interactive conversations with users, allowing for an accurate assessment of the level of loneliness they experience.
Through an initial analysis during the call, the interviewee's situation will be classified as severe, moderate, mild or negligible. In critical cases, personalized services will be activated immediately to offer psychological support or social companionship.
For those who are not in a critical situation but present some associated risk of loneliness, Paloma 2.0 will make follow-up calls to inform them about specialized services from the municipal government aimed at addressing this issue. Additionally, users will receive motivational audios and guidelines developed by psychologists to promote social skills and healthy habits that contribute to emotional well-being.
This programme has an allocated budget of 523,000 euros, part of the III Action Plan Madrid, Age-Friendly City 2026-2028. This guide aims to promote an active and healthy life among the elderly in Madrid.
Throughout last year, Paloma 1.0 contacted around 3,000 elderly individuals and revealed that approximately one third admitted to feeling unwanted loneliness; moreover, about 646 accepted to receive follow-up support. With these figures as a foundation, Cibeles hopes that the improved implementation will allow for earlier detection of cases and more effective action.
It will not only focus on the elderly; an additional expenditure of 975,467 euros has also been approved to fund the Programme for the Prevention of Unwanted Loneliness aimed at the younger population segment within the Territorial Rebalancing Fund (FRT). This demonstrates a comprehensive commitment from the City Council towards all age groups affected by this social phenomenon.
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