With the arrival of the warmer months, the capital of the Costa del Sol offers free activities to its elderly residents, as part of the Siempre Acompañados programme.

The initiative was born from the joint efforts of the 'la Caixa' foundation, Malaga city council and the Red Cross. Currently, the programme assists the residents of the Bailén-Miraflores and Puerto de la Torre districts.

The programme directly serves 288 people over 60 throughout the year. From boat trips and karaoke to museum visits and physical activities like yoga and dancing, everything is free and accessible thanks to the programme's team, who work tirelessly in July and August.

Among the offerings are guided tours of some of Malaga's most emblematic and important art and museum spaces, allowing participants to explore the Picasso Museum, the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the Pompidou, the Russian Museum of Malaga and Picasso's house.

In addition to cultural experiences, there are other leisure and social activities outdoors or in shared spaces, carefully designed to promote collective entertainment and strengthen emotional bonds: a complete tour aboard the city's tourist bus, a relaxing boat trip along the Malaga coast, film screenings, karaoke days, traditional board game workshops and entertaining petanque matches.

Beyond pure entertainment and culture, this initiative also creates a space for promoting health and active aging through highly educational and specialised group workshops.

These training sessions address crucial issues in the areas of daily life, safety and independence for older adults, including a workshop on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques.

Talks on substantially improving sleep hygiene, preventing common household accident and detailed explanations for the correct, rational and safe use of regular medications also form part of the workshops.

The initiative addresses physical and preventative well-being through sessions dedicated to strengthening the pelvic floor and 'emotional skincare' workshops: a novel approach to aesthetic and psychological care that combines with physical activities fully adapted to the participants' abilities, including regular yoga practice, dance dynamics and restorative laughter therapy.

A team from the Red Cross directly participates in the delivery of this programme, with 50 local workers and volunteers. The team implement an innovative and constantly evolving methodology, continuously adapting to the changing social life in Malaga's different districts.

The programme has a far-reaching scope, extending across Spain. Currently, the Siempre Acompañados project is active in Malaga, Jerez, Murcia, Pamplona, Granada, Palma de Mallorca, Sabadell, Terrassa, Tortosa, Girona, Tàrrega, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Lleida.

This community support network has also crossed national borders to reach Portugal, where it offers support in urban centres in Lisbon and Porto.

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