Introduction

Introduction to Kindalabbet

Background

Kinda municipality is a smaller municipality in Sweden with just under 10,000 inhabitants. Since several years ago, Kinda municipality has seen a need to gather strength to break involuntary loneliness among seniors, which is why the municipality welcomed the LINK project, which enabled it to carry out development work with this in focus. Even before the project, the municipality had tested the learning and innovation lab method on a smaller scale, which would result in a hybrid solution to meet during the pandemic. Through participation in the project, the work started with learning and innovation labs could progress and develop.

The purpose of participating in the LINK project was to create a more accessible community in Kinda municipality, where the aging population requires coordination of social initiatives throughout society. As the population pyramid for Kinda shows a large proportion of seniors, which according to the forecast will increase, the municipality saw that this was an urgent issue.

Purpose

Finding opportunities together and rethinking how we can, with joint power, contribute to seniors not having to experience involuntary loneliness. The project "Combating involuntary loneliness" with the aim of creating a more accessible community in Kinda municipality, where an aging population increases the need for social interventions. The focus is on developing and coordinating activities that contribute to reducing the risk of involuntary loneliness, as well as engaging more residents, including those who are isolated or hard to reach. 

In the work with LINK, Kinda municipality has identified causes of involuntary loneliness and reasons for municipal residents to get involved in society.

In the picture you can see the distribution between women (in green) and men (dark blue) and how the age distribution differs between Kinda municipality and the county of Östergötland. Kinda municipality has a considerably larger proportion of elderly people than the county as a whole.

About Kindalabbet's partner

In the Kinda lab "Meets in Kinda", the municipality's business developers collaborate with many organizations. Among others the foundation Kindahus (the municipal housing company); Göta Libraries in Kisa, Rimforsa and Horn; the municipality's family support, leisure strategist and meeting point managers as well as the voluntary organisations: Pensioners' national organization (PRO) in Rimforsa and Kisa; Council for Pensioners and Persons with Disabilities (RPF); Swedish Pensioners' Association (SPF); International Federation of Women; Waiting service in Horn; "Heart to heart", the sewing association in Kisa and the study associations Vuksenskolan and Arbetarnas Bildningsförbund (ABF) and the Church of Sweden.

Target group

Involuntary loneliness affects people of all ages, but Kinda municipality has initially chosen to focus on seniors over 70. Studies show that between 10-15 percent of the elderly population experience involuntary loneliness. This is a risk factor that can result in mental illness and, in the worst case, even suicide. Through a municipality's learning and innovation lab work, hopefully involuntary loneliness can be broken to a greater extent and, in the best case, new contexts and communities can emerge. This can then result in meaningfulness, increased community and thus better mental health among the elderly.

Particular risk factors for becoming involuntarily alone can be:

• loss of a partner
• retirement/ loss of context at work
• deteriorating physical health/difficulty in mobility and/or pain
• vulnerable financial situation/ small pension
• mental illness