How civic service can create links with seniors

With the aging of the population, the problem of the living conditions of the elderly often arises. Sometimes isolated, in difficulty, they do not necessarily know where to turn to improve their daily lives. This is why the government and partners specializing in aging well have decided to extend the missions of classic civic service to the benefit of the old age sector. We are now talking about civic solidarity service for seniors.

The original scheme, founded by the Unis-Cité association in 2010, has trained some 500,000 young people. The interested volunteer must be between 16 and 25 years old (30 if he is in a situation of disability) and engage for a period of 6 to 8 months in an associative mission which is compensated up to 580 euros. And it is precisely thanks to the success of this program that the authorities had the idea of ​​a new version based on the same methods but benefiting isolated elderly people.

Strengthen intergenerational ties

The missions of the civic solidarity service (also called SC2S) are varied: the young person will aim to maintain the social link with the senior, for example by going for a walk together, by sharing a meal or an activity; the main thing being to communicate and create a relationship beyond the generations.

Does the person have problems getting around? The volunteer will take care of the shopping, the cleaning or even doing small jobs in the house. If necessary, the young recruit will also act as an intermediary in relations with any administration, home help or even a reception or support establishment. Finally, those who engage in civic service will be able to participate in collective activities, in particular within an Ehpad (accommodation establishment for dependent elderly people). Having two individuals from two different generations rub shoulders on a regular basis creates a special relationship and helps to fight against individualism.

A device that wears its heart on its sleeve

While the civic solidarity service for seniors was set up in early 2021, the positive effects are there. “What these young people are doing is worth all the gold in the world. When they come, we chat, we go out, we do computer work… When they are 5 minutes late, I start going around in circles, ”says Michel, 71, on the official website of the Sc-solidariteseniors program. Fr. About 900,000 elderly people suffer from loneliness in France, and 300,000 are in a situation of “social death”. And the Covid-19 crisis did not help: “Young people want to help the older ones, they have shown commitment”, explains Marie Trellu-Kane, president and founder of Unis-Cité.

The government and the various partners do not intend to stop there. For 2021, the objective was to train 2,000 committed young people through training to help 45,000 seniors. Moreover, 300,000 elderly people must be able to count on the support of some 10,000 volunteers by 2024.

How to benefit from the device?

This new civic service is intended for people over 60 who feel alone. To be able to benefit from it, no condition of resources is imposed, since the objective is to prevent isolation. You can contact the organizers of this program on the official website Sc-solidariteseniors.fr, in the “Contact” section, or contact the head of the Unis-Cité branch in your region.