Seventeen Spanish centenarians — all aged 100 or more — were connected in a single group call that totalled 1,757 years of life experience. The meeting, organised with the support of senior groups and carers, was designed to give visibility to Spain’s oldest citizens and to prove that “digital” doesn’t have to mean “young”.

RTVE reports the call was enabled through Maximiliana, a Spanish-made system built specifically for older users, designed to work without the kind of menus and buttons that often put first-time smartphone users off.

A century on the line, from every corner of Spain

The participants, born between 1918 and 1924, dialled in from different parts of the country. For many, it was their first group video call. However, the surprise wasn’t that it happened. It was how quickly the formal “hello” turned into a proper conversation — jokes, memories, warmth and a kind of sharp-eyed realism you only get from people who have watched a country reinvent itself several times over.

They spoke about the changes they’ve lived through: war and scarcity, the arrival of television, the shift to democracy, the internet — and now, a screen that can pull family and strangers into the same room.

The quiet message behind the feel-good headline

This wasn’t just a charming moment for social media. It was a very pointed reminder about loneliness and isolation among older people — and about how easily people can be left behind when services, relationships and even healthcare assume confidence with technology.

That matters in Spain, where the number of centenarians has risen sharply in recent years. Reporting on INE-linked data has put the figure at around 16,900 people aged 100+ in 2024, a jump over the past decade that underlines how quickly the country is ageing.

The subtext of the call was simple: if Spain is going to live longer, it has to stay connected longer too.

“At our age, every conversation is a gift”

The best moments weren’t technical. They were human.

One participant summed it up with a line that could serve as the project’s entire mission statement: at our age, every conversation is a gift. RTVE notes that the group call was as much about dignity as novelty — proof that older people still want to be seen, heard, and included in the everyday world.

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Why this will be repeated

Because it works. It’s shareable, yes — but it’s also scalable.

If a centenarian video call can happen with the right support and the right interface, then smaller versions can happen in care homes, neighbourhood centres and family WhatsApp groups that have drifted quiet.

Spain doesn’t just have older people. It has older people with stories. The point is making sure someone is still listening.