Anthropology and Population: Perspectives on Aging

Author(s): Veronica Gheorghita / Language(s): English / Issue: 52/2016

In the last decades it was noticed a significant demographic growth, as world population surpassed 7.3 billion persons in 2015. The increasing number of people was linked to a significant increase in the number of older persons in the population. This trend is projected to accelerate in the coming years, the global population of older persons is going to reach 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2.1 billion in 2050. In Romania, in 2015, the population of 65 years and older, represented 16% of the total population. In the period 2015 - 2050 the forecasted values are much higher, reaching over 30% of the elderly population. From this point of view, the ascending of the "graying" population involves changes in many fields of society, from social to economic ones. The paper focuses on presenting the anthropological perspective in the study of population in general and the understanding of the experience of growing old. It examines the global changes in the age structure of the population and the future trends of the demographic characteristics. At national level, the article explores the changes in the age characteristics of the population, the demographic drivers of the aging of population and the challenges posed by the growth in the number and share of older persons. Also, it will underline the peculiarities of the process of aging, an approach that shows human aging related to social and biological changes.

Antropologija starosti: domovi

Konstruisanje starosti kao društvenog problema kroz organizovano domsko zbrinjavanje – od sirotinjskih do staračkih domova

Author(s): Ljubica Milosavljevic / Language(s): Serbian / Publication Year: 2014

Antropologija starosti: penzije

Konstruisanje starosti kao društvenog problema kroz penzije – od prvih penzionera do penzionih fondova

Author(s): Ljubica Milosavljevic / Language(s): Serbian / Publication Year: 2014

Atypical Forms of Employment as a Determinant of Economic Activity of People above 45 Years Old

Author(s): Halina Sobocka-Szczapa / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Taking into consideration established directions of strategic actions and the need to exploit enterprises of custom employment statuses in practice, we would like to examine the alternative in the more detailed way above the vocational activation of people over 45 years old with the temporary work. The purpose of the study formulated in this way allows validating the research hypothesis which is: the temporary work doesn’t constitute the important instrument of supporting the occupational activity of people who are 45 years old. Above all features the shown population will be a base of conducted deliberations, a tendency to work in custom employment statuses and scale of exploiting this form of the occupational activity in Poland.

Badania demograficzne nad ludźmi starymi w Lubelskiem w świetle metryk zgonów (wybrane aspekty). Część I, Kurów (1698-1825)

Author(s): Piotr Rachwal / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 104/2015

The article presents the problem of the elderly in the parish of Kurów for over two centuries. The parish, which dates back to the fifteenth century, had more than 2150 Catholics in 1787. In the period under study, 6633 people died, in case of 339 no age was given. 1030 dead people were old ones, that is, being 60 years old or more. Initially, the registration of the age of the deceased was unreliable, a marked improvement in that area took place in the 1720s. The author pointed out that the age of the deceased recorded in registers was so-called "declared age", as evidenced by the fact that in many cases the given age ends in 0. The recorded age was rounded to the nearest ten in 60% of cases. An analysis of the seasonality of deaths of the elderly revealed that they died mostly during winter and pre-harvest season.

Barriers versus promotion: Culturally sensitive healthcare for elderly Turkish migrants in Austria and Germany

Author(s): Nevin Altintop / Language(s): English / Issue: 1-2/2014

What is the perception of Turkish migrants in elderly care? The increasing number of elder mi-grants within the German and Austrian population is causing the challenge of including them in an adequate (culturally sensitive) way into the German/Austrian health care system. Here I introduce the perception of elder Turkish migrants within the predominant paradigm of intercultural opening of health care in Germany as well as within the concept of diversity management of health care in Vienna (Austria). The qualitative investigation follows a field research in different German and Austrian cities within the last four years and an analysis based on the Grounded Theory Methodology. The meaning of intercultural opening on the one hand, and diversity management on the other hand with respect to elderly care will be evaluated. Whereas the intercultural opening directly demands a reduction of barriers to access institutional elderly care the concept of diversity is hardly successful in the inclusion of migrants into elderly care assistance – concerning both, migrants as care-givers and migrants as care-receivers. Despite the similarities between the health care systems of Germany and Austria there are decisive differences in the perception and inclusion of migrants in elderly care that is largely based on an 'individual care' concept of the responsible institutions. Finally, this investigation demonstrates how elderly care in Germany and Austria prepares to encounter the demand of 'individual care' in a diverse society.

Behaviour of Elderly People in Tourist Services Market

Author(s): Ewelina Strzelecka,Anna Dabrowska / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2012

This article presents the behaviour of senior citizens — elderly people aged 60–75 in the market of tourist services. As shown in the report of Future Traveller Tribes 2020, it is the group which in the next few years will have a decisive influence on the development of the tourism market, due to demographic, social and economic changes. This article presents the findings of the study conducted in 2011 in 5 market segments, including the elderly people. They accounted for 19% of the population being surveyed in the research.

Best Agers activation toolbox – results of the research

Author(s): Frank Buettner,Katrin Reichel,Claudia Korb / Language(s): English,Polish / Issue: 3/2012

W artykule przedstawiono najważniejsze wyniki badania dotyczącego aktywności osób w wieku 55+ w działalności wolontarystycznej, zrealizowanego w ramach Projektu Best Agers – Using the knowledge and experience of professionals in their primes to foster business and skills development in the Baltic Sea Region. Pełny raport z badania jest dostępny na stronie internetowej projektu: www.best-agers-project-eu.

Best Agers in the Baltic Sea Region – a qualitative study of employers’ attitudes

Author(s): Jonas Meixner / Language(s): English,Polish / Issue: 3/2012

Celem artykułu jest próba oceny wpływu zmian demograficznych na zachowania przedsiębiorstw w sześciu państwach Regionu Morza Bałtyckiego: Danii, Niemczech, Łotwy, Litwy, Polski i Szwecji. W artykule zaprezentowano wyniki badania postaw pracodawców wobec procesów starzenia się społeczeństwa i zatrudniania pracowników w wieku 55+, zrealizowanych w ramach Projektu Best Agers Using the knowledge and experience of professionals in their primes to foster business and skills development in the Baltic Sea Region. Dostęp do pełnej wersji raportu na stronie internetowej projektu: www.best-agers-project-eu.

Ból, cierpienie, umieranie i śmierć – perspektywa społeczna (studenckie wybory wątków, obrazów i tekstów)

Author(s): Maria Kuchcinska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1/2/2015

The article presents an analysis of the work performed in the form of multimedia presentations by students of the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz attending a lecture on issues in the area of tanatology. More than seventy studies were conducted under the direction of the prematurely deceased - Dr. Danuta Seredyńska. They showed a wide spectrum of issues related to pain, suffering, dying and death in the social perspective, seen through the eyes of young people.

Buletin de Psihiatrie Integrativa

Frequency: 4 issues / Country: Romania

The first number of the Bulletin appeared in 1919 and was printed in Iaşi. Society’s monthly meetings were rich in clinical data and facts, as well as experimental. They constituted a sufficient material for a regular publication of the Bulletin of the Society.

Prof. Parhon, gradually gathered around him the youth willing to learn. The society became quickly a lively organism. At its meetings attended many doctors, young and old people attracted by the scientific level of the communications and discussions and also of the mutilaterallity of the scientific concerns of Professor C.I. Parhon. The fame of the society spread in the rest of the country too. This was an objective condition for organizing the congresses of Neurology, Psychiatry, Psychology and Endocrinology Society in our country. Each congress was held in another city, where there were hospitals with this profile.

The journal was sent in many countries: U.S.S.R., France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and in other countries in Europe, in all 250 numbers of the journal were sent off. The journal was not subsidized by the state but once with the sum of 10.000 lei, after the attempt of the governors of the time to dissolve the „Socola” Hospital, for the progressive orientation of the comprised medical school. This attempt arose a great protest movement between the intellectuals and the doctors across the country, forcing the government of the time to reconsider this decision.

Caitrin Lynch. Retirement on the Line: Age, Work, and Value in an American Factory. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2012

Author(s): Hanna Gospodarczyk / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2015

Review of: Hanna Gospodarczyk - Caitrin Lynch. Retirement on the Line: Age, Work, and Value in an American Factory. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2012. 240 pp. ISBN 978-0 8014-5026-6.

Całościowa Ocena Geriatryczna a kierunki edukacji seniorów

Author(s): Jerzy Gasowski,Karolina Piotrowicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 2/2014

The article concisely outlines the issues of the relationship between the aging of the organism and educational activities. Populations in the world are aging. Elderly people generally preserve the ability to learn, although learning takes more time. It is believed that educating the elderly reduces their risk of dementia development. Due to the changes in the aging process, the elderly require comprehensive geriatric assessment.

Causes and Consequences of Demographic Processes and Changes in Contemporary Society

Author(s): Dragana Vilic / Language(s): English / Issue: 9/2015

For the functioning and development of society the great significance have demographic processes and changes (natural population growth, fertility, birth rate, mortality rate, aging of population, changes in regard to marriage, the frequency of celibacy, divorce). This paper analyzes the causes and consequences of these processes and changes in contemporary society. The trends of demographic changes are not the same in all societies in the world. In developed societies today can be observed, with minor differences, the same demographic trends – low and/or negative natural population growth, the rapid aging of population, low mortality rates, increasing of the divorces and the like. On the other hand, in underdeveloped societies are born many children, where weak economic conditions are conducive to a deterioration in the material, social and health status of the population (illness and mortality, particularly of women and children). This clearly indicates that demographic processes and changes are not directly influenced by economic and social factors (the level of education, the development of society in general, etc.), but that there are a number of indirect social factors causing it (national, class, political, cultural, religious and other). In response to the unfavorable demographic trends (population size, the age of the population, etc.) and the consequences which population factor creates in many economic and social areas (reduction of the working population, the burden of social security funds, etc.), in the past two decades in the most countries population policy was placed in the area of population fertility - there were introduced the pro-natalist measures in developed countries and measures to discourage procreation in underdeveloped countries.

Chirurgia i starość

Author(s): Andrzej Wysocki / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 32/2015

Z procesem starzenia związane są zmiany wsteczne ważnych dla życia narządów, spadają możliwości adaptacyjne tak fizyczne, jak i psychiczne. Z wiekiem rośnie ryzyko zachorowania szczególnie na choroby serca i naczyń, nowotwory, uchyłki jelita grubego, choroby kości i stawów. Rosnąca średnia długość życia, zwiększająca się liczba ludzi w podeszłym wieku oraz zjawisko wielochorobowaści stawiają przed publicznym systemem ochrony zdrowia wielkie wymagania. W Polsce w najbliższych latach związane z tym problemy medyczne i ekonomiczne będą coraz większe. Poważnym zagadnieniem jest świadoma zgoda na operację. Nawet gdy sytuacja zdrowotna pacjenta i zasada operacji są mu przedstawione w prosty sposób, to rzeczywiste zrozumienie i świadomy wybór postępowania mogą być trudne do osiągnięcia, zwłaszcza w przypadku nagłych operacji.Disorders in the functioning of main human organs and in adaptive possibilities in both psychological and physical aspects are a natural occurrence in the process of ageing. The risk of various diseases, particularly cardiovascular ones, cancer, colon diverticulitis and degenerative arthritis, increases with age. Longer life expectancy together with an increasing number of elderly people and multiple morbidities become a great challenge for the public health system. In the nearest future both medical and economical issues connected with this phenomenon will become a significant problem in Poland. Informed consent for surgery is an important issue. Even after receiving all necessary information on one’s health and clearing out the details of surgical proceeding, deep understanding and conscious decision may be difficult to achieve, especially in urgent and sudden surgeries.

Choroby uroginekologiczne – poważny problem społeczny

Author(s): Pawel Szymanowski,Anna Gierat,Hanna Szweda,Marcin Józwik / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 4/2017

Urogynecology is a field of medicine that includes pelvic floor pathologies such as urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. In the age of society aging, the incidence of this type of illness increases, classifying them as social diseases. Bothersome symptoms affect negatively the daily lives of patients as individuals and their functioning in families and in society. They severely reduce the quality of life, and can be the source of further disorders such as depression or sexual dysfunction. Because of the sense of shame and embarrassment associated with ailments, and limited knowledge – also in the medical world – many years pass till the beginning of the treatment. Most pelvic floor diseases can be treated effectively, and therapy should be interdisciplinary and personalized. The paper presents an overview of urogynecological diseases and possible methods of treatment.

Ciemna strona starości: przemoc ze strony opiekunów. Egzemplifikacje Hiszpańskie

Author(s): Adelia de Miguel,Jolanta Mackowicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1 (9)/2017

In this article, the authors raise the issue of elder abuse by their caregivers (in both family and institutional settings). The main goal is to present Spanish examples of preventive actions and solutions concerning elder abuse. Theoretical models leading to caregiver overload that may result in abuse have been presented. Preventive measures should include institutional, psychological and educational support with regard to care-giving, as in many cases the onset of abusive behavior occurs in the situation of caregiver overload.

Coping and Emotion Regulation Strategies in Adulthood: Specificities Regarding Age, Gender and Level of Education

Author(s): Helena Smrtnik-Vitulic,Simona Prosen / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

In the study, the use of coping and emotion regulation (ER) strategies is compared in 194 adults aged between 20 and 65 years, regarding their age (emerging, young or middle adulthood), gender and level of education. There are almost no significant differences in the use of coping and ER strategies in adults regarding age. Women use certain ER strategies (e.g., attentional deployment) more than men, but there is no difference between the two groups in the use of coping strategies. Adults with a low level of education use more confrontive coping and distracting in comparison with adults with a high level of education, while the escape- -avoiding coping strategy is used more by adults with low and middle levels of education than those with a high level of education. Regarding ER, adults with a low level of education use more cognitive reappraisal of importance than both groups with a higher educational level, whereas they use suppression and substances only more than adults with a high level of education. Correlations between coping and ER strategies are mostly non-significant, suggesting that coping and ER are distinct processes in adulthood.

CORRELATIONS BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL SCREENING SCORE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY

Author(s): Laura Mihalache,Otilia Nita,Andreea Gherasim,Alina Popa,Mariana Graur,Lidia Iuliana Arhire / Language(s): English / Issue: 50/2015

The aim of this study is to assess nutritional status in a group of institutionalized elderly and to establish correlations between nutritional screening score and anthropometric parameters. We analyzed a sample of 156 seniors, 62 (39.7%) men, 94 (60.3%) women, to whom we performed nutritional screening using Mini Nutritional Assessment - MNA and we evaluated anthropometric parameters (body mass index - BMI, waist circumference - WC, calf circumference - CC and midupper arm circumference - MUAC). In the group of elderly institutionalized to whom the MNA has been applied, 69.2% had optimal nutritional status, 24.4% had a score of screening indicating risk of malnutrition and 6.4% had a screening score corresponding to malnutrition. A significantly higher percentage of women had a screening score indicating malnutrition (9.6% vs. 1.6%) and a screening score showing risk of malnutrition (26.6% vs. 21%) (p=0.029). Analysis by gender showed strong correlation between BMI and WC value (r = 0.869) in men, and between MUAC and CC value (r = 0.838) in women (p<0.001). Nutritional screening score was positively correlated with all anthropometric parameters (r>0.400, p<0.001), the strongest correlation being recorded with CC (r = 0.528). MNA short form (MNA-SF) represents a useful tool for rapid nutritional screening of elderly, enabling the identification of individuals at risk for malnutrition and those with a score indicating malnutrition. Calf circumference is a parameter which is positively correlated with nutritional screening score in institutionalized elderly population, and can be proposed as a starting point in nutritional assessment algorithm.

Czy starość panu bogu „wyszła”? Refleksje na temat starości w odniesieniu do wybranych pism literatury sapiencjalnej biblii hebrajskiej

Author(s): Sebastian Smolarz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1 (9)/2017

The article describes a development of the motif of old age in sapiential literature of the Hebrew Bible: Proverbs, Job, and Qoheleth. It is argued that the view on seniority had changed between those writings, from the positive to more controversial and negative. Special attention is given to Eccl 12:1–7 in a wider context of the Poem on Youth and Old Age (11:7–12:8), in the context of the Poem on Toil (1:2–11), and also in the context of the main idea of the book expressed by the word heḇel. It is suggested that despite the realistic and somewhat negative descriptions of the frailty of old age, the book offers a positive perspective on living an inextricable and quickly-passing life, as it is. Qoheleth encourages people to enjoy life when one can, and to remember their Creator, who for some reason invented both good and “evil days”, youth and old age alike. The negative experience of weaknesses in old age can give man a taste of judgement expressed in Gen 3:19. Finally, it is asked if God’s luck held when he invented old age. It is proposed that there is no straightforward answer to this question, but also that man has to learn to live in face of perplexity and perhaps in faith that there would be some answer to this riddle out there, coming from Someone greater than himself. That perhaps can be found beyond sapiential literature of the Hebrew Bible.