How does loneliness arise, who is affected by it, and what can help counteract it? These questions were at the heart of the theme day “The Many Faces of Loneliness”, which took place on 14 April 2026 at Theater der Altmark. The Kompetenzzentrum Inklusive Bildung Sachsen-Anhalt was also represented with its own contribution.

Loneliness is a topic that is often associated primarily with old age in public debates. However, the theme day “The Many Faces of Loneliness” showed that the issue needs to be understood much more broadly. The programme brought together different perspectives and combined scientific, social, cultural and personal approaches. It included contributions on support services in the Altmark region, loneliness in old age, queer perspectives in later life, and the experiences of people with disabilities. The information day was complemented by a “market of opportunities”, a staged reading of the monologue Siberia by Felix Mitterer, and a concluding discussion.

KIB also contributed its perspective to the event. Under the title “Lonely because of barriers? – People with disabilities talk about their experiences of participation”, colleagues from the Kompetenzzentrum made clear that loneliness is not only an issue of older age. Four colleagues shared personal insights and spoke about how barriers, exclusion and a lack of participation can contribute to people with disabilities feeling isolated. This brought attention to a perspective that is still too often overlooked in debates about loneliness.

For people with disabilities in particular, loneliness often does not arise by chance, but in connection with social conditions. When spaces are not accessible, information is not provided in accessible formats, or encounters and participation are not made possible as a matter of course, this has consequences for social participation. Loneliness is then not only an individual feeling, but also an expression of exclusion. KIB’s contribution made clear that loneliness cannot be discussed separately from questions of accessibility, self-determination and social participation.

Another important contribution came from Prof. Matthias Morfeld, Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal and academic director of KIB, with his lecture “Can loneliness be measured? How lonely is the Altmark?” His presentation addressed the question of how loneliness can be recorded scientifically and how the topic can be described at a regional level. In this context, it also became clear that loneliness and being alone cannot simply be equated. What matters is the distinction between social and emotional loneliness. People may have social contacts and still experience a feeling of inner disconnection.

It was precisely these different approaches that made the theme day so valuable, as scientific perspectives, personal accounts, social practice and cultural impulses complemented one another. The event made visible how complex the issue of loneliness is and how important it is to take different lived realities into account.

We would like to thank Theater der Altmark, Johanniter Krankenhaus Stendal and all those involved for organising this varied and important theme day, and for giving us the opportunity to contribute our perspective to the programme.