ВЗАИМООТНОШЕНИЯ МЕЖДУ НАСТАНЕНИТЕ ЛИЦА И ПЕРСОНАЛА В СОЦИАЛНИ ИНСТИТУЦИИ ЗА ВЪЗРАСТНИ ХОРА
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ACCOMMODATED PERSONS AND STAFF IN SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS FOR ELDERLY PERSONS

Summary/Abstract: The institutionalization of elderly people leads to significant changes in their lives in the future. On the one hand, there is the social isolation that many of them face, especially if they have many concomitant diseases that hinder their autonomy. On the other hand, there is the new environment in which they find themselves, where the leading role in their daily lives is already taken by the employees of the home. The relationships with staff are very important for the full life of institutionalized people. The analysis is based on the results of a survey among institutionalized persons aged 65 and over in Bulgaria. The study involved a total of 175 people aged 65 and over, accommodated in four retirement homes for elderly persons – two in Varna and two in Provadia. In each of the cities two institutions are included – a municipally funded one and a privately funded one. The information from the respondents was obtained through a semi-structured interview. In the study of the relationships between the respondents in an institutional environment, the majority of the respondents get along with the other occupants of the home (60%). When asked about communication with the staff, the largest share of respondents (59%) indicate that their relationship with staff is also good. The daily contact, as well as the need of the respondents for care, is a prerequisite for building trust between them and the employees. Regarding home meals, most residents (69%) indicated that their needs were fully met. The second most common answer (28%) is that they do not like the food because it does not match their taste. The majority of the interviewees (62%) said that they felt most secure in the institution in terms of their health. Given the complex care they receive in the homes, as opposed to the minimal or even absent care in the home they come from, the distribution of the responses is easily explained. In the summary question on the living conditions in the home, more than a half (63%) report that they have encountered more favourable living conditions in the institution than those in their home. The obtained results are explained by the fact that most of them do not have a safe home and relatives to take care of them. Providing a place to live, heating during the winter months and food three times a day is for many users something that they cannot achieve if they are taken out of the institution. In combination with the medical care provided to them, living in a retirement home for elderly persons is the best option for most of the respondents. In conclusion, it can be said that the institutional environment provides security and peace, especially for those respondents who did not have adequate housing conditions before admission, as well as the health care they may need

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