Samenvatting

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on people’s mental health and levels of physical activity, especially in older adults who are more vulnerable. Although it has been five years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many older adults still face direct and indirect negative consequences such as mental health issues, feelings of loneliness, and a lower quality of life. Additionally, society and older adults should be better prepared and become more resilient for unforeseen pandemics in the future. The aim of the BASE project is to bring older adults back to society both physically and socially through a peer-to-peer approach. Sport and Health professionals (BASE mentors) in Spain, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Lithuania were trained to educate volunteering local older adults (BASE Buddies) who supported the older adults targeted by the BASE project