Summary

Quick solutions, innovative thinking plus a genuine desire to do something to enable socially richer lives for vulnerable groups formed the basis for various parties around the Nordic region when the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic was a fact. The challenge was about finding solutions in a situation that nobody had previous experience with or ready-made solutions for.
The five Nordic examples highlighted in this report have one thing in common: no one really knew how to respond or what to do, but everyone knew that measures should be taken.
In Finland, Sweden and Norway, digital tools such as online video meetings served as a bridge builder between parties and involuntarily isolated adults. In Denmark, the Landsforeningen Autisme/National Autism Association started up a telephone helpline and in the Icelandic town of Akureyri, snow was cleared to make it easier for residents to get around outdoors.
Common to all efforts is that the parties wanted to establish the best possible conditions for preventing involuntary loneliness. Another common denominator is a willingness to deliver solutions as quickly as possible, with a focus on avoiding involuntary isolation. In several cases, it has required ingenuity and that the parties dared to think outside of already established models, while at the same time utilising the knowledge and experience that already existed before the pandemic arose.
In addition to the fact that digital tools have taken on a greater role, the importance of being out in nature has also grown. Meeting outdoors enabled safer environments from the point of view of infection protection, which was utilised in circles of friends in Finland alongside video meetings, for example. Even more established solutions such as landline telephones and correspondence courses became a means to prevent involuntary loneliness.
All parties interviewed in the report agree that in continued work the lessons learned from the pandemic should be taken into account. In some situations, new ways of conducting the activities carrying out the business have been found, however the importance of meeting face to face was also quickly recognised. Well-developed digital solutions can never fully replace a physical meeting, but they can serve as a valuable complement.
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