Carmen closes her pharmacy at half past eight. Her store is located in the centre of Barcelona, so she has many people to attend to all day long. She also helps people from the neighbourhood, both the ones who have lived there for their whole life and the ones who just moved in. She is alert and attentive and keeps an eye on the dynamics of her elderly - and most regular - customers. Carmen watches for changes in their routine such as their behaviour or appearance. If Señora Millan Ortiz, who comes in every week to pick up her medicine, has not done so by Friday, Carmen will raise the alarm. Her internal ‘radar' tells her something might be wrong with Señora Millan Oritz. It could be that her neighbor has fallen at home and might be lying on the floor because, at 86 years of age and living alone, she might not be able to get up or call for help. Carmen can mobilise her community to help. Carmen has made a commitment to keep an eye on neighbors like Señora Millan Ortiz. Like many thousands of other residents of Barcelona, she is a member of the Radars network.

Imagine you’re the casting director of a musical with a seemingly impossible task: Find 30 seniors in Vienna who are willing to sing and dance on stage. With a callback rate that usually lies between 5–7%, it was clear that at least 500 seniors would have to be found to cast the best 30. The entire city would be notified of this innovative cultural act—and the most renowned singing and dancing coaches in Austria had been hired to train the amateur actors' group. No pressure!  All of your hope lies on a city-wide media and PR campaign to invite seniors to come to the casting; a campaign that was announced in traditional media channels like print, radio and local TV. A few weeks pass and only 150 people apply. You’re trying to think outside the box: Let’s target the grandchildren! You start running a campaign on Instagram titled “Sign Your Grandma Up to Perform On Stage”. Zero response. Then it hits you: Target seniors on social media with a video campaign! A few days pass and then, suddenly, the applications start pouring in. 600 submissions in 10 days! You probably already guessed which media channel helped to reach the goal: Facebook.

“There are so many people who are looking the wrong way. It is time to look forward to when things will get better. And they will. Never doubt it: tomorrow will be a good day.” With these words, Captain Tom Moore hoped to support those struggling on their own while combating loneliness. Seeing his wife Pamela in a care home inspired him to start the Captain Tom Foundation. He said he visited her every day for five years until she died of dementia in 2006. “One day she said, ‘If you didn’t come and see me, I would be very lonely’”—this is a memory that struck a point in Mr. Moore’s heart. “Some residents of the care home never had a visitor and must have been very lonely. That’s what my foundation is for, to help lonely people and people in difficulties, not just old people.” Being optimistic, whatever the trouble or grief , is a message that Captain Tom Moore, who has recently been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, wants to pass on to everyone in the world.

Nelly visited her son in the United States last year, but due to the COVID-19 lockdown she couldn’t return home to Lima as planned. She was eager to go back to her active and independent life in Peru—in part because, at the age of 83, she found an art expression program for older adults: Momentos de Alegría (Moments of Joy). The activities there allowed Nelly to fully express herself. By creating art, learning new topics and making new friends she felt active again. While she was staying in the United States, Nelly’s son found out that the Peruvian art program was transferred online due to the pandemic and decided to surprise Nelly by signing her up for a collage art session over Zoom. Nelly could not believe her eyes—her beloved art program was right there, a click away from her. Eager to meet her friends online, she was motivated to learn how to use Zoom . Nelly was not only able to reconnect with her old friends, but she made new ones online. She calls herself one of the most enthusiastic participants of Momentos de Alegría. “Life goes on, we cannot stop and watch it pass by.”