Table 3.

Themes, subthemes and units of meaning.

Themes	Subthemes	Units of Meaning
When one’s personal life and social context lead to loneliness	Age, physical condition and character. Individual obstacles limiting accompaniment	Neglect, mobility problems, not wanting to be a nuisance, postmortem fidelity and preference
	Social factors that push older adults towards loneliness	Remoteness, economic inequality, getting rid of the elderly, work-related reasons, rural isolation, out of the system and abandonment
From abandonment to personal growth: the two faces of loneliness	Loneliness as an opportunity: between introspection and flight	Looking better and not wanting to be a nuisance
	Loneliness as a source of negative feelings	Feeling lonely, feelings of guilt, fear of the unknown, abandonment and closed in oneself
Loneliness as a health issue that needs to be addressed	Loneliness as a health issue	Health, disorientation, need for communication, somatising loneliness, need for relationships, demand for attention, at home: alone and at home: no stimulation
	The need for a multidimensional solution	Financial support, limitations of professionals, day centre, at home: integrated, in the community, reintegrate into the system, professionals: improvements, accompanied: participatory, need for encouragement, professionals: actions and resources