About

Research grounded in fieldwork

José Antonio Rabadán holds a PhD from the University of Alicante. His doctoral thesis, «Soledad, apoyo social y longevidad», compares loneliness, social support and longevity among older people in the Blue Zone of the Nicoya Peninsula and in Spain. It draws on three field trips to Nicoya and direct interviews with centenarians and their families.

He brings more than thirty years of professional experience in services for older people. He coordinates the Loneliness Observatory of the University of Alicante, part of the Age-COM research group, and led the provincial study on loneliness and the strategic plan commissioned by the Diputación de Alicante.

He is a member of the Centenarians Working Group of the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SEGG) and coordinated its Image and Ageing group from 2020 to 2024. In Costa Rica he works with the Asociación Península de Nicoya Zona Azul.

Keynotes

Talks for universities, congresses and institutions

Available in Spanish, online or in person, for academic audiences, public administrations and organisations working with older people.

• One hundred years without lonelinessWhat the Blue Zone of the Nicoya Peninsula teaches about living a long life in company
• Bonds and longevitySocial connection, support networks and health in later life
• Social policy for older peopleWhat works against loneliness, from local services to regional strategies
• Age-friendly citiesHow municipalities can design communities where nobody grows old alone
• Intergenerational solidarityRelationships between generations in an ageing society

Recent lectures include UNED Nicoya, Costa Rica (2026), masterclasses at Universidad Andrés Bello, Chile (2026), and the ICON-EDU international congress at the University of Alicante (2025).