Vodafone Spain Foundation launches telephone support programme for senior citizens

With the coronavirus pandemic severely impacting the most vulnerable in society, the Vodafone Spain Foundation has joined forces with the Spanish Confederation of Older People's Organisations (CEOMA) and the Spanish Association for Connecting without Social and Technological Barriers (AECSBST), to launch a telephone support programme for senior citizens.

Spain has two million people over the age of 65 who live alone in Spain; accounting for almost half of the 4.7 million one-person households in the country, according to the latest data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). Of these, more than 850,000 are aged 80 or older.

As one of the most vulnerable groups impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vodafone Spain Foundation, along with its partners, have launched the #MayoresAcompaña2 campaign to help bring comfort to those seeking company during their time in isolation.

Between 9am and 10pm, Monday to Friday, senior citizens in Spain can now call a free telephone number (900 920 268) where they will be connected to a Vodafone volunteer who is ready to listen and provide a friendly voice.

This collaboration between the Vodafone Spain Foundation and CEOMA builds on previous shared initiatives in recent years, which has included training senior citizens in Spain on the use of mobile phones and tablets, as well as applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook.

In the last 15 years, the Vodafone Spain Foundation has trained more than 800,000 senior citizens in digital literacy via 20 separate organisations in Spain.

To learn more about how we're helping families, communities and businesses to stay connected, visit www.vodafone.com/covid19