News

May 2025 - Bortziriak

The Jubiloteca is a project promoted by the Commonwealth of Social Services of
Bortziriak, created to promote the personal autonomy of the older people and avoid
social isolation. This service is carried out in the five towns of Bortziriak (Arantza,
Bera, Etxalar, Igantzi and Lesaka), a rural area characterised by its geographical
dispersion and a high rate of ageing. The service currently has the active participation of 64 people and has established itself as a leader in the promotion of autonomy in rural areas.

Origin and initial difficulties
TECAs were created as resources to promote work-life balance in society. Within this
concept, both game libraries and Jubilotecas are included. While Game libraries are
widely known and accepted as spaces for children's leisure and education, Jubilotecas represent an innovative and less familiar concept for the community, which made their initial implementation difficult.
The Jubiloteca was created in 2008 as part of a work-life balance resource called
TECA, which combined a game library and a Jubiloteca. Its initial aim was to offer a
space to support families caring for the older people. However, in the first years, the
service did not achieve the expected participation. Despite the efforts made, the concept of the Jubiloteca was abstract and unfamiliar to many older people and their families.

First attempt to unify with the day care centre
Faced with this situation, and seeking to guarantee the continuity of the project, the
possibility of unifying the Jubiloteca with the Day care Centre was raised. The idea was to optimise resources and centralise care in a single space for the older people.
However, when this option was put to the users of the Jubiloteca, the proposal was
clearly rejected. The older people people expressed that they did not identify with the
profile of the Day Centre, as they perceived this environment as more welfare-oriented and linked to situations of greater dependency, while they valued the Jubiloteca as a space for active leisure and promotion of autonomy. Respecting their decision was a key factor in the subsequent success of the project.

The Turning Point: Coordination with the Health Centre
After the refusal to unify the service with the day care centre, the Mancomunidad
rethought its strategy and decided to establish direct coordination with the Bortziriak Health Centre. This was the real turning point for the Jubiloteca, as the service went
from being perceived as a resource for conciliation to a space for the promotion of
health and autonomy. The slogan "Let's not prescribe drugs, let's prescribe Jubiloteca" reflected the paradigm shift: the Jubiloteca began to be seen as a resource that contributed to the holistic wellbeing of older people. The support of health staff enabled referrals to be made to people who could benefit from the service, which significantly increased participation and consolidated the project.

Volunteering and transport: The key to mobility
Another major challenge was to guarantee attendance at the Jubiloteca from different
locations, given the geographical dispersion of Bortziriak. To this end, the Mancomunidad acquired a van that made it possible to offer an adapted transport
service. In addition, the Elkarrizan volunteer group joined the initiative, organising
shifts so that the older people could get to the centre without difficulty. This community
support network has been essential to the success of the project and has enabled the
Jubiloteca to maintain its accessible and participatory nature.

Methodology and management
The methodological approach of the Jubiloteca combines physical, cognitive and social activities. The physical area includes mobility exercises, stretching and balance
activities. Cognitive activities include reading workshops, music therapy, memory
workshops and fall prevention courses. In addition, the social area is promoted with
meeting spaces and intergenerational activities, such as meetings with young people
from the high school. The key to success has been actively listening to the older people, respecting their decision not to unify the service with the day care centre and offering a space that they value as their own.

Achievements and legacy
Over the years, the Jubiloteca has evolved into a community space that promotes
inclusion and active ageing. Older people see the service as a fundamental part of their lives, highlighting that it brings them joy, companionship and an improvement in their overall wellbeing. Some testimonies reflect the positive impact : "For me it is half a life", "It gives me joy", "If I didn't come", "I would be doing nothing all morning." These stories show that the service not only improves physical and cognitive health, but also strengthens the feeling of belonging and social connection.

Conclusion
In short, the Bortziriak Jubiloteca has established itself as an innovative and sustainable resource that promotes personal autonomy and strengthens the social network. Thanks to its comprehensive approach and the joint work with the Health Centre and volunteers, it has become a model to care the older people in rural environments. The success of the Jubiloteca lies in its ability to adapt to changing needs and its commitment to active and participatory ageing.