'Adopt a grandparent': Thousands write to care home residents for Christmas

OVER 9,000 letters have been sent in barely a week from members of the public to elderly residents in nursing homes as part of the nationwide 'Adopt a Grandparent' scheme.

A campaign run year-round but which cranks up a gear at Christmas, the Adopta un Abuelo scheme has over 600 care homes on its books and support from at least 40 companies.

Anyone can join in from any part of the world via the Una Carta Para Un Abuelo ('A Letter for a Grandparent') website, and missives are printed off for elderly residents to read, or are read to them if they are no longer able to do so.

Within the first week of the festive letter-writing campaign, upwards of 9,000 had been penned and sent, many from children, given that around 500 schools nationwide have been participating as a class activity.

It concluded on Christmas Eve, after three weeks, and although the final 'letter count' has not been revealed as yet, last year saw in excess of 150,000 festive communications sent to senior citizens, and over a million hits on the website Unacartaparaunabuelo.org.

Spokeswoman for the start-up firm, Rebeca López, says the 'Adopt a Grandparent' scheme is about creating contact between different generations and supporting older people who are either lonely or at risk of being so.

“Our aim is for them to feel listened to, feel they have company and that they're loved, and at the same time, our volunteers learn new values and life experiences,” Sra López explains.

“To date, we've offered over 44,000 hours of companionship and have 'adopted' more than 3,500 'grandparents', thanks to our community of 5,000-plus volunteers.

“We want all elderly people living in care homes to get as much love and affection as possible through Christmas letters – we want to send them messages of happiness and joy, and to ensure no senior citizen feels alone over the festive season.”

Despite Spain's long tradition of close family ties – geographically as well as emotionally and practically – meaning many elderly people in homes will have regular visits from loved ones, a huge number will never see anyone they know over Christmas except for fellow nursing centre residents.

In some cases, this is because they do not have any family left at all, particularly if they never married or are widowed, never had children, and were an only child so have no nieces or nephews.

Letters from the public can be a huge comfort to them at a time of year when those spending the season alone feel more lonely than ever.

As well as the Adopta un Abuelo website, the company has recently launched a mobile phone App which allows younger generations to connect with their 'adopted grandparents' from anywhere in the world, making calls and video calls with the help of volunteers or staff at the homes, book virtual or in-person visits, or schedule events and dates.