En el presente trabajo se pretende, haciendo uso de la revisión bibliográfica sistemática, abordar una triple tarea. Por un lado, hacer un intento de clarificar terminológicamente el concepto de innovación social a través de una sistematización de las principales definiciones que sobre este concepto nos encontramos en la bibliografía. En segundo lugar, pretendemos llevar a cabo un seguimiento de como la definición del concepto se ha visto afectada por los diferentes momentos y contextos históricos en un intento de determinar posibles tendencias comunes, para terminar, en tercer lugar, poniendo de manifiesto cómo el concepto de innovación social se ha proyectado en diferentes disciplinas.

Aims: To assess the effect of a multicomponent intervention on reducing social isolation and loneliness and improving the quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. Design: A cluster-randomized controlled clinical trial. Methods: A total of 56 older adults participated in the control group and 63 older adults in the experimental group. The intervention consisted of 6 home-based face-to-face sessions, intercalated with 5 telephone calls and was conducted by nursing students and volunteer staff with experience in the subject. The study was conducted between April 2018 and December 2019. In terms of statistical analysis, several procedures were carried out: a statistical analysis per protocol and intention to treat, considering isolation, loneliness and quality of life as endpoints; a comparison of paired means, to analyse the behaviour of the outcome variables at baseline and the end of the study; and finally, a binary logistic regression analysis, considering social support as a dependent variable. Results: The study results do not show the effectiveness of the modified CARELINK programme, analysed as a whole, on the decrease in social isolation or loneliness or the improvement in HRQL. However, a detailed analysis of the behaviour of some of the variables during the study indicates some results that deserve to be commented on. Comparing the mean confidential support scores between the experimental and control group at the initial and final stages shows significant differences in the analysis by protocol, and close to statistical significance in the analysis by intention to treat. Comparing the paired means obtained in the experimental group, an improvement in emotional loneliness scores was found. Finally, the variables associated with the social support of the subjects at the end of the follow-up period were as follows: having people who help them arid mobility. Conclusion: Although the results obtained do not allow us to affirm that the intervention programme is effective, these same results point to improved confidential support and emotional loneliness in older adults participating in the intervention. Having people to help them and a greater degree of mobility are factors favouring the decrease in social isolation. Impact: This study suggested that modified CARELINK, a multicomponent intervention performed by trained volunteers, could improve confidential support in community-dwelling older adults. It also reports the importance of considering the level of mobility and support networks as determinants of the improvement caused by the intervention.

Caracterización de organizaciones del Tercer Sector desde el enfoque de la innovación social. Discusión a partir de un caso etnográfico

El presente trabajo es un ejercicio de síntesis y de articulación de los principales elementos teóricos relativos a la definición de la innovación social, las fases a partir de las cuales se desarrolla y los intentos de modelización más significativos que se han llevado a cabo hasta el momento, utilizando como estrategia de análisis el establecimiento de una taxonomía y una discusión de la teoría del cambio subyacente a las propuestas identificadas.

Aims: To identify the factors conditioning the feasibility of an intervention to reduce social isolation and loneliness in noninstitutionalized older adults from the perspective of the intervention agents. Design: A Dimensional Grounded Theory study conducted from December 2019 to January 2020. Methods: Twelve participants were recruited from an experimental study developed in a health district of a southern Spanish city. Data were collected through focus group meetings, individual interviews, biograms, anecdote notebooks, and the field diaries of two participants not included in the other techniques. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: Findings were divided into three themes: (a) the elderly between the walls of loneliness, economic difficulties, losses, and the past; (b) intervention agents/volunteers between the walls of inexperience in the management of psychological/emotional processes, lack of moral authority, and difficulty in planning results adapted to the (elderly) person; and (c) intervention between the walls of (interest in) company and assistance at home, lack of involvement (“waiting for you to save them”), and withdrawal/“abandonment”. Conclusion: A profile of the specialized intervention agent, professionalized (or at least a mentored agent), with both technical and relational competencies; a clear understanding of the purposes of the intervention (empowerment, as opposed to having company or being helped with household chores) and the commitment to active participation by the elder; or adequate management of the completion of the intervention (flexibility, attachment management) are some of the main factors contributing to the feasibility of these approaches. Impact: The findings have potential implications in the field of primary healthcare because primary and community healthcare services can implement corrections to the proposed intervention and ensure its effectiveness under feasible conditions. The nurse is shown as the most appropriate profile to conduct this intervention, although more research is needed to analyze the feasibility of this type of intervention in the daily practice of community nurses.