Schwertner: “Loneliness is an underestimated need and is still a big taboo topic.” On “Blue Monday” Caritas is drawing attention to numerous offers to combat loneliness.
Vienna (OTS) – The third Monday in January is said to be the saddest day of the year and the time when mood is said to have reached its lowest point. Caritas is therefore once again drawing attention to an urgent issue around “Blue Monday”: “Loneliness was already a disease of civilization before Corona, but loneliness is also continuing to increase due to the pandemic and rising prices. According to a study carried out by Caritas together with SORA, 570,000 people in Austria feel lonely more than half of the time,” emphasizes Klaus Schwertner, Caritas director of the Archdiocese of Vienna. One in four people report feeling lonelier due to the Corona pandemic. Overall, 17% of respondents stated that they had to limit social contacts due to recent price increases. This proportion is particularly high among people with a household income of up to 1,500 euros: more than one in three people had to limit social contacts. “Loneliness is a plight of our time that is much more widespread than we realize and at the same time is still a very taboo topic. As an aid organization, we have encountered this issue for years. In care, in the parish visiting services, in the warming rooms or in the consultations in our social counseling centers: many people have no one to whom they can confide their concerns, many people cannot afford a visit to the coffee house to come out of their isolation. With initiatives like the chat network, we want to make a significant contribution to social cohesion,” says Schwertner.
Last but not least, loneliness has negative consequences for your health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently emphasized that social isolation is dangerous to health. People without strong social connections are at higher risk of strokes, anxiety disorders, dementia, depression and suicide. Schwertner therefore also appeals to the federal government to finally put the issue on the agenda. “Bringing lonely people back into society is a task for society as a whole and a task for politics. If you want to strengthen social cohesion, you have to fight loneliness. Let’s look at each other right now. And especially those who have it particularly difficult. We will only overcome the crises of our time together,” appeals Schwertner.
Chat network: More than 41,000 conversations have been held since the project started
Loneliness affects many people, regardless of age, social background and income. Caritas therefore launched the chat network together with the Kronen Zeitung and Magenta in the first lockdown. The principle is simple: people who have no one to talk to call volunteers who are happy to listen on 05 1776 100. Since the project started in April 2020, more than 41,000 conversations have now been held, which corresponds to a total conversation duration of over one million minutes or 720 days. Calls are accepted daily between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. The phone calls last an average of half an hour. Around 4,000 chat partners volunteer for the chat network, and more than 6,000 callers have already dialed the number. The chat network is not a crisis or expert hotline, but rather a chat service for the small and large conversations that people often miss so much. Schwertner: “The chat network brings people together who have never seen or spoken to each other before. They can chat with each other, share their worries and fears and feel connected to someone. A simple phone call often helps enormously.”
Caritas offers to combat loneliness
The Caritas loneliness study found that one in four people would like more social contacts. The great demand for numerous Caritas initiatives also shows that the need for opportunities to meet and exchange ideas has increased significantly.
This winter we have 42 again Warming rooms opened their doors in parishes in Vienna and Lower Austria and entertained guests. The warming rooms are not just places where people can warm up and get full. The feeling of being welcome is particularly valuable for those people who are often overlooked by society. www.pfarrcaritas.at
Caritas is testing new forms of living with the WG Melange – a project for communal living for people aged 55 and over. Because: More and more people are consciously choosing new forms of living because they want to actively shape their lives with their chosen neighbors. Caritas brings people together and accompanies their arrival. Last year we moved into the first Melange shared apartment in Seestadt Aspern. The goal is several residential groups in Vienna and Lower Austria. caritas-wien.at/wg-melange
The virtual one fills up once a week Chat room with people who talk, exchange ideas or play games together on different topics with a trained moderator. chaterraum.caritas-wien.at
Open2Chat offers young people the opportunity to chat online with their peers about their worries, questions and problems. open2chat is free and anonymous. Peer companions are currently being sought: open2chat.at
With in the middle Caritas – with the support of Licht ins Dunkel – is building an online meeting point for people with learning difficulties, as a place for exchange between people with and without disabilities. Volunteers are still being sought to organize the rounds. mittendrin@caritas-wien.at
Over 100 Chat bank guy Caritas, together with many parishes in Vienna and Lower Austria, has already set it up in a wide variety of places in public spaces. These are marked benches that are intended to invite passers-by to talk to others. www.pfarrcaritas.at
Questions & Contact:
Mag. and Ulrike Fleschhut
Communication
Caritas of the Archdiocese of Vienna
Mobil: 0664/848 26 17
E-Mail: ulrike.fleschhut@caritas-wien.at