Czy wartość życia wzrasta wobec bliskiej śmierci?

Author(s): Wlodzimierz Galewicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 4/2017

The costs of life-extending care at the end of life are often disproportionately high in relation to the benefits it brings to the patients. Thus, the unrestricted principle of cost-effectiveness as a rule of rational healthcare allocation would require us to limit publicly funded life-prolonging treatments for patients nearing the end of life. From a societal perspective, however, this limitation would be often callous and inhuman. There are three possible ways to reconcile these two attitudes. First, we could restrict the principle of cost-effectiveness by questioning its validity in the field of end-of-life care. Second, we could raise the acceptable upper cost-effectiveness threshold for end-of-life treatments. Thirdly, it is also possible to maintain that the seemingly rather poor effects of end-of-life treatments are actually much better, because the value of life increases as death draws near. In this paper, I discuss the plausiblity of this last solution.

Czynniki Determinujące Decyzję O Przejściu Na Emeryturę

Author(s): Wladyslawa Luczka / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2015

In the recent years, regarding to changing socio-economic ad demographic conditions, the professional activity of the older persons is particularly underlined. The measures directed towards increase of share of 50+ group in labour market have been undertaken. In order to achieve this goal, the reasons for limiting the activity of people in age around retirement should be first identified. The aim of the paper is to identify factors influencing decision on retirement. The conducted inquiry research proves that responders relatively earlier exercised their right to benefits. Responders’ average retirement age amounted to 58.6 years. The majority of factors determining the decision on retirement are directly related to the pension system, and first, with the entitlement rules and calculation of benefit level. As a main reason for retirement the responders indicated reaching the retirement age, and then favourable financial conditions.

Demographic Characteristics Of Lika Region

Author(s): Milena Panic,Marko Filipovic,Vlasta Kokotovic Kanazir / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

The aim of this paper is to review and point out the demographic situation and processes happening in Lika Region (Croatia) today, as well as to describe the changes in the population structure with particular emphasis on changes in the ethnic structure of the population that have occurred over the past two decades. For centuries, Lika has been inhabited by the population of dual religious structure with different socio-cultural and linguistic characteristics. The area where the diverse population of Lika’s variety lives today is characterized by clear and steady depopulation, changed population structure (age, ethnicity) and changed adiministative and territorial organization. Jovan Cvijić in his Balkan Peninsula and the South Slavic Countries in this group (Lika’s variety) places the population living “between the Velebit mountain on the west and Kapela and Plješevica on the east”. This is the area of today's southwestern Croatia, consisting of two towns (Gospić, Otočac) and eight municipalities (Brinje, Donji Lapac, Gračac, Lovinac, Perušić, Plitvice Lakes, Udbina, Vrhovine), belonging to two counties (Lika–Senj, Zadar).

Demographic Processes in Developmentally Peripheral Areas of Hungary

Author(s): János Pénzes,Istvan Zoltan Pastor,Patrik Tátrai / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

The current study investigates the demographic processes and challenges of the Hungarian peripheral settlements. Demographic challenges can be regarded as important consequences of the social and economic disadvantages in spatial terms. However, the interrelating negative demographic tendencies cause even more backward situation blocking or hindering the development. As a part of the analysis the peripheral settlements were delimited according to a previous complex and detailed study. Seven variables were chosen from this set after a systematic narrowing procedure requiring multiple steps. Eight different multivariate statistical methodologies were applied to create complex indicators as a kind of essence and to make spatial categories by the extent of peripherality. The objective of the current analysis is to discover the demographic characteristics of the peripheral settlements and to detect the spatial disparities. Additional important objective is to point out the correlation between backwardness and the investigated demographic phenomena. In order to detect the tendencies, the census databases between 1980 and 2011 were used and local datasets on Roma population were applied. Data aggregations and manipulations were used instead of difficult multivariate statistical methods. Depopulation is one of the greatest challenges in Hungary. Backward areas are primarily characterized by decreasing and dynamically decreasing population number, with striking disparities, but there were growing communities among them as well. In general, strong depopulation could be detected among these settlements (approximately 23 percent decrease between 1980 and 2011). Some small villages in Northern and Southwestern Hungary with enormous population decrease will foreseeably face complete depopulation within few years.The strongly peripheral group of settlements, primarily small sized villages, faced intense decrease in rate of natural change. But dynamic population growth was also detected, which is caused by natural increase that was typical almost in every peripheral settlement with Roma majority. Migration loss tends to correlate with the extent of peripherality, as increasing values of migration balance are accompanied by decreasing ratio of peripheral settlements in the area. The dynamic population aging of Hungary could be detected since the 1980s. The ratio of peripheral settlements represents one peak in the case of the group of settlements with more than 40 percent of elderly population. Even more prominent ratio of peripheral settlements could be detected in the juvenile groups of settlements. The most characteristic and extended areas with aging population could be found in the Zemplén area, in the Northern-Cserehát in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, in the Western Transdanubia (in Zala County) and in the Hungarian Great Plain – in mosaic-like pattern. The ratios of Roma population reflect the scale of peripherality. Every settlement having Roma majority (more than 130 villages) was in the peripheral categories. Extended ethnic change could be predicted in Northeastern and Southwestern Hungary and near the Middle Tisza valley. Presented demographic processes - in our opinion - will make the backwardness of most of the peripheral settlements stable.

Deprivation of Needs in Retirees’ Households in Poland

Author(s): Miroslawa Janos-Kreslo / Language(s): English / Issue: 5/2013

In Poland, as in other countries, we can observe the process of ageing of the society. This is evidenced by the growing number of elder people as well as the per cent they constitute in the society. An aim of the article is to show the scope of deprivation of needs of retirees’ households in Poland. The grounds for the carried out analysis were data received from the CSO’s household budget surveys as well as author’s own research findings. The results of the analysis showed that the income situation of the average retirees’ household was relatively good. The households having financial difficulties reduced their expenses or were buying cheaper products and services. In the subjective income and material evaluation, there prevailed positive opinions.

Determinants of Self-Rated Health and Self-Rated Physical Fitness in Middle and Old Age

Author(s): Kimmo Kuosmanen,Suvi Rovio,Miia Kivipelto,Jaakko Tuomilehto,Aulikki Nissinen,Jenni Kulmala / Language(s): English / Issue: 01-02/2016

Self-rated health (SRH) correlates with psychological factors, mortality and functional capacity. Self-rated physical fitness (SRF) has been examined less, and the relationship between SRH and SRF is unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the determinants, differences and similarities of these concepts in middle and old age. In total, 2,000 persons at the mean age of 50.6 years were examined at baseline, and 1,449 were re-examined when they were aged between 65–79 years. On both occasions, the participants underwent a comprehensive clinical examination and health status/habit assessment. We found a strong correlation between SRH and SRF. In midlife, low income, hopelessness, active use of healthcare services, physical inactivity, angina pectoris, arthropathy and elevated blood pressure were associated with both poor SRH and SRF. In old age, high income, alcohol abstinence, physical inactivity, hopelessness, difficulties in activities of daily living, angina pectoris, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and musculoskeletal disease of the back, and (in men) urinary tract infection were associated with poor SRH and SRF. Income, hopelessness, physical inactivity and angina pectoris correlated with both instruments in both age groups. A wider range of variables was associated with SRH than with SRF. The determinants of SRH and SRF were relatively similar in the younger and older age groups. However, SRH appeared to be a more multi-dimensional instrument than SRF. SRH and SRF are considered reliable indicators of mental and physical health status, and should be accorded more importance when evaluating health among middle-aged and older people.

Determinanty wsparcia społecznego wśród starszych mieszkańców wsi

Author(s): Anna Mirczak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 2/2014

Research over the past decades has demonstrated that the social support impacts significantly on health of individuals and their ability to cope with stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the level and kinds of the received support and examine its predictors. The study was performed personally, using interviews based on the structural questionnaires. The group of respondents consisted of 203 people aged 65 years and over living in rural areas in Małopolska. The social support was evaluated by means of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS SSS) scale. The analysis of the collected research material was performed using the statistical package SPSS 19 for Windows and multivariate analysis techniques. The obtained results indicate that participants were experienced high level of instrumental support. In addition, the level and type of received support was determined by respondents: age, self-health assessment, disability in physical functioning and family situation.

DIE ALTERUNG DER GESELLSCHAFTEN ALS ZEICHEN DER ZEIT

Author(s): Ryszard Hajduk / Language(s): German / Issue: 17/2016

The Church has the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the time. They are processes and social phenomena to which followers of Christ can not be indifferent. Signs of the times are loci theologici. They can not be interpreted as pure facts, but as a reality privileged by God that He uses to show humanity His plans and purposes. The phenomenon of aging populations belongs to the signs of the time. It affects not only Western countries, but also Eastern Europe and Russia. Although older people are sometimes described as an economic burden for the younger generation, it is difficult to imagine social life without them. They play an important role in it, providing assistance to their families, as well as undertaking a number of initiatives for the common good. As “guardians of the collective memory” (John Paul II), elderly persons help young people to discover the meaning of life and to shape their personal identities. Their wisdom and experience contributes to building a better world. For the Church, this means a challenge to use their potential for the development of the work of evangelization and to provide them with pastoral support, responding to their spiritual needs and helping them to live with dignity in the “autumn of life”.

Doing ethnicity in elderly care

Author(s): Linda Lill / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

Te following article is about how and when ethnicity is of significance in elderly care. Below I analyze examples of how staff perceive each other and each other’s work. These analyses describe how ethnicity is important in their work and in what ways the concept is given meaning. Te importance of a phenomenon is primarily related to the linguistic expression of meaning. In this case the focus is on the meaning of ethnicity, which also includes the importance of actions, activities, behaviors and non-linguistic symbols, etc.

DOJRZEWANIE DO WIECZNOŚCI. CZASOWY WYMIAR LUDZKIEGO ISTNIENIA W PERSPEKTYWIE ANTROPOLOGII KAROLA WOJTYŁY

Author(s): Jaroslaw Merecki / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 17/2016

The paper aims to show some possible ways of facing contingency, which is an inevitable element of human experience. The first of the discussed ways is modern science, which dramatically limits the contingency of human life, but cannot eliminate it completely. The other is religion, which not only offers a solution to the problem of the existential contingency of the human being, but also makes the problem even more radical. The paper analyzes existential contingence as expressed in the temporality of the human person, drawing on two authors: R. Ingarden and K. Wojtyła. According to Ingarden, the human person transcends contingency, realizing the values of Truth, Beauty and Good that persist in time. Wojtyła also states that the transcendence of the human person consists in realizing those values, but he adds that the values themselves can persist only if they are rooted in the eternity of the Absolute Person

Domovi za stare i ostale „druge”

Author(s): Ljubica Milosavljevic / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 33/2014

Long-lived intertwining of socio-cultural as well as health-related and biological aspects of old age is shown by an example of old people’s homes where the last haven is also found by, in the eyes of the society, the “others”. Keeping track of the developments in placing the elderly in care homes, from poorhouses to modern gerontology centres, provided a basis for understanding the manner for constructing the designated characteristic of the “otherness”. This is an enduring process, creating an almost indestructible link between the old and the corps of all kinds of unfortunates, most often united by poverty.

Dostosowywanie zasobów kadry medycznej do potrzeb starzejącego się społeczeństwa

Author(s): Tomasz Karkowski / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1/2015

The aim of the article is to show the changes in medical staff resources, which are made by creating new specializations or new professions better tailored to the needs of an ageing population. The analysis is based on the data from GUS (the Central Statistical Office), the Ministry of Health and legal acts. The demographic changes are a serious challenge to the social and economic policies of the EU and its member countries. On the one hand, we can observe that the process of ageing of population accelerates, but on the other hand, the average life expectancy is longer. Moreover, one’s health condition changes every year, and after having reached a certain age, elderly people should take care of their health and control it using medical assistance. Losing the capacity to do everyday activities along with memory and cognitive impairment increase the demand for healthcare services, nursing and care services, long-term care and terminal care. That is why it is necessary to create a care system coordinated with those needs and providing appropriate medical staff resources, which will provide professional care for the elderly. The staff will include not only the representatives of “medical professions”, such as doctors and nurses, but also other health care professionals (e.g. pharmacists, hygiene experts, health promoters, physiotherapists, dietitians and nutrition specialists) and a so-called auxiliary medical personnel – nurse’s assistant, medical guardian. Moreover, we can also observe actions aiming at the improvement of the care for elderly people in Poland, which is done by increasing medical staffs’ competencies in geriatric care. Team-based approach to geriatric care, understood as a process of comprehensive evaluation of health problems, physical fitness, mental condition, the level of social support (including family support), financial situation and the conditions of living of a geriatric patient, is carried out by an interdisciplinary geriatric team and aims at improving the level and quality of healthcare services, and patient’s functional status and quality of life.

Dugotrajna nega starih u Srbiji – stanje, politike i dileme

Author(s): Gordana Matkovic / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 1/2012

In Serbia, the long-term care as a system does not actually exist. One part of the system is regulated through cash benefits, one part through institutional social care and community-based social services, and one part is just being established under the health care system. The linkages among these segments are not strong and there is insufficient awareness of the need to regard the different parts of the system as being interdependent and interconnected. According to the different surveys, home care is needed for the daily functioning of more than 80,000 elderly people, especially for around 27,000 of those who are completely immobile. More than 300 thousand elderly persons have indicated that they are in need of some type of self-care support. By tradition, elderly people in Serbia rely primarily on family support. Some are getting the state support as well. Research shows that 62 thousand elderly persons (5 percent) receive attendance allowance; 9,000 elderly are accommodated in institutions (0.7 percent), while 11.7 thousand (1 percent) persons received some type of support through home care community based services. In addition, in Belgrade there are also 2,000 elderly who are beneficiaries of medical and palliative care at home. The government expenditures for these purposes can be very roughly estimated at 0.55 percent of GDP, largely for cash benefits (0.37 percent). Considered over a medium and longer term, the government expenditures on long-term care in Serbia will inevitably increase significantly, primarily due to an increase in the number and share of elderly people and the increase in additional life years spent in ill health or in need of assistance. An increase in the expenditures will also be influenced by a change in the family models and the increasing number of elderly that will be living alone, as well as the diminishing possibilities for reliance on the closest family members, especially due to emigration flows both at local and national levels. Finally, it is important not to neglect the effect of emulating more developed countries, as well as the EU’s pressure to adequately respond to the needs of the elderly. Therefore, the state and society must promptly prepare a systematic, comprehensive, timely and fiscally responsible response. This response must recognize the capacities of all stakeholders, from family to state and non-state and match the capacities with the appropriate roles in the system of long-term care provision.

Dzieciństwo w Bullerbyn czy z tiger mothers? Bycie dzieckiem a stawanie się szczęśliwym dorosłym – zastrzeżenia wobec stosowania perspektywy inwestycji społecznych w polityce społecznej

Author(s): Piotr Michon / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 4/2014

Social policy towards children has become dominated by the perspective of social investment. Without questioning the legitimacy of the social investment concept, this article points out its limitations. While investing in children benefits the children, their families and the general public, it is however based on questionable assumptions: (1) childhood inferiority; childhood is treated as inferior to adulthood, (2) effectiveness and selection; it should be invested in such a way that the return on investment is the largest; (3) competitive advantage; the purpose of investing in the child by parents is for them to gain a competitive advantage in adulthood; (4) the dominance of the labour market perspective; it should be invested into what will be advantageous in obtaining professional work; (5) the inequality of the many varied talents (related to previous point); some areas of human activity, human talents and skills are less important than the others, hence the policy should focus on the most important ones; (6) knowledge of the future; people know what will be needed in the future; (7) stability of the model of adulthood; what is today considered as „being an adult” will remain unchanged in the future. The adoption of these assumptions results in a policy: that supports “becoming an adult” at the expense of “being” a child; is mainly targeted at the poorest children because the return on investment in this group is the greatest; that privileges the skills and talents needed for salary work; that is based on the reigning normative expectations regarding adulthood and what the future will look like; that encourages people to obtain competitive advantages.

Egyptian irregular migration to Europe

Author(s): Ayman Zohry / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2007

In this paper, I explore characteristics of Egyptian who migrate irregularly to Europe and reasons of irregular migration from the point of departure through a field survey in some Egyptian villages known of sending irregular – as well as regular - migrants to Europe (mainly Italy and France). The survey gathered information about the level of awareness of potential migrants about irregular migration and migrants smuggling from Egypt. The results indicate that the vast majority of youth who want to migrate to Europe as well as current migrants intend to return to Egypt after a temporary stay in the countries of destination. These findings suggest that the Egyptian migration to Europe is a re-production of the pattern of Egyptian migration to the Arab Gulf countries, where young males migrate to achieve specific financial goals and then they return.

ELDERLY PEOPLE AS KEY ACTORS BEHIND SOCIAL INNOVATIONS IN RURAL AREAS

EXAMPLES OF CARE COOPERATIVES IN THE NETHERLANDS

Author(s): Ilona Matysiak / Language(s): English / Issue: 24/2017

The article explores the potential of elderly people living in rural areas in terms of implementing social innovations related to care provision. It is argued that seniors should receive greater recognition as important actors organizing care at the local level. Two examples of care cooperatives recently established in Dutch rural communities are used to illustrate the argument. The article is based on a literature review and in-depth interviews conducted in the Netherlands in February 2017. The challenges involved in transferring this model to Poland are also discussed.

Employment, Unemployment Benefits and the European Social Policy

Author(s): Dandes - Albert Aurel / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

The economic policy of the European Union affects a steady growth of the economy and the creation of new jobs. It addresses the challenges in the short term and the long run in areas such as public finance, macroeconomic imbalances and competitiveness, but also the impact of the long-term trends in the case of phenomena such as the aging population and globalization. In this respect, within the framework of this work we propose to analyze the problem of employment in proportion to the reduction of the phenomenon of unemployment benefits. Thus, we are interested to see how the job market can be regulated, in order to be able to exploit more effectively the opportunities as he saw in the future.

Encyklopedia starości, starzenia się i niepełnosprawności, 2017–2018

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1 (9)/2017

Association Thesaurus Silesiae - The Silesian Treasury, together with our Publishing House, has planned for the next two years (2017-2018) a print - in the intention of a five-volume - Encyclopedia of old age, aging and disability, which will cover a vast area of concepts in the basic fields of gerontology and its specific disciplines , dealing with the aging process and its effect, which is old age, and auxiliary sciences.

ENGELLİ HAKLARI, İSTANBUL BÜYÜKŞEHİR BELEDİYESİ ENGELLİLER MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ UYGULAMALARI

Author(s): Volkan ÖZBARIS / Language(s): Turkish / Issue: 44/2019

The aim of this study is to express the most common problems faced by the disabled in İstanbul, to determine the role of local governments in the services provided to the disabled and to identify the deficiencies of the services provided by local governments. Most faced by problems of people with disabilities in Turkey: education, poverty, improvement and housing problems, availability or accessibility issues, employment, social security issues, can be listed as the problem of social exclusion. In this research, concepts related to disability are given and rights of disabled people and their problems are mentioned. The services of the Disability Directorate of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Department of Health for the disabled are explanied, the deficiencies of services made by public institutions and the society’s perspective on the disabled are explained. As a result, İMM Directorate of Disabled People carries out some services for disabled people within the understanding of Municipality. However, in its services, it is possible to build roads in a way that does not leave disabled people in need of such services and to redesign public transportation in accordance with the disabled and the elderly, to increase the accessibilty and quality of education services, to provide more employment, to provide the opportunity to live freely in public spaces without being exposed to harassing views of people and raise public awareness of people with disabilities.

Entrepreneurial Behaviour of the Elderly in Poland – Chosen Aspects

Author(s): Malgorzata Gajowiak / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/1/2017

Nowadays one can observe progressive demographic changes in the form of, among others, an increasing proportion of post-working age population and lowering birth rates. The negative consequences of these changes are visible especially in the labour market. For these reasons, it is necessary to undertake efforts aimed at improving working conditions, retraining employees, as well as introducing flexible working hours in order to increase employment among older people. These activities support the implementation of the concept of age management which is becoming increasingly popular among European countries. This idea aims to allow workers, and particularly the elderly, a fuller use of their abilities, thereby increasing their motivation to work. Consequently, it seems that higher employee productivity has a positive effect on the stabilization of employment and enterprise development.