Tackling loneliness: how small things make a big difference

Marlène is a widow and lives in Morkhoven, a small village in the Kempen region with barely 2,300 residents. Like many older people in rural areas, she often felt lonely: far from stores, with limited public transportation, and hardly any places to meet people.

Researcher Lise Switsers (Thomas More University of Applied Sciences - Center of Expertise Care and Well-being) asked the residents what they were missing. The answer was a bakery, a butcher shop, a produce store, and, above all, a place to see one another. The result is a weekly market with a market café run by volunteers.

Watch the video to see how small interventions can combat loneliness and how your municipality can do the same.