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 Michoń / 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.

50+ w świecie informacji, czy można mówić o wykluczeniu cyfrowym?

Author(s): Roland Łukasiewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 01/2016

Contemporary social space scale computerization should go hand in hand with the possibilities of implementation in each of the groups of new technologies. In fact, the desire to meet changes at the front of the wall of opposition from both the technical and digital exclusion problems associated with the lack of digital literacy. The development sets the scale of the problem of the digital divide and seniors representing a wide audience of people with no practical possibility of using a computer and the Internet.

POČINIOCI NASILJA NAD STARIJIM OSOBAMA

Author(s): Nusreta Salić,Hariz Šarić / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 65/2016

This article presents the results of research study titled “Social causes of violence against elderly in Tuzla Canton” carried out in 2012. The objective of this research was analysis of social causes for domestic violence and reasons for susceptibility of becoming a victim of domestic violence in later age. Kinds and forms of violence, frequency and social (risk) factors that can produce violence on people in later age were also surveyed. The research was carried out during the period from 1st March to 30th October 2012. Questionnaire included 130 elderly persons and 44 experts employed at 13 social work centres. The research work aimed at analysing the extent of exposure of elderly to domestic violence, kinds and forms of violence, frequency, perpetrators and the attitude towards reporting this kind of violence to the authorities. The main aim of the research was to evaluate the influence of certain risk factors that can incite the violence on elderly.

Multi-disease versus quality of life of people aged over 65 being treated in Primary Health Care

Author(s): Mariola Seń,Grażyna Dębska,Dorota Lizak / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2016

Senior age, after the age of 65, is a period when changes occur due to the continual process of aging, often co-existing with all sorts of health problems, pathological processes, diseases, and psychosocial disorders that get worse with age. However, extending the life of these patients is associated not only with better treatment effects, but also with the use of multiple medications, which can lead to adverse effects. The multiple medications that multi-disease patients receive can significantly reduce their quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between multi-disease and life quality of senior patients being treated in primary health care.

Eutanazja w opinii studentów kierunku Pielęgniarstwo

Author(s): Urszula Romanowska,Edyta Laska,Zofia Foryś / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2016

The fundamental human right is the right to life. Euthanasia is defined asintentionally ending a life in order to end the suffering of the sick person at his request.This is a very controversial topic. The aim of the study was to examine attitudes of studentstowards euthanasia.

Kwasy tłuszczowe z rodziny omega-3 w neuropsychiatrii

Author(s): Jagoda Drąg,Anna Goździalska,Jerzy Jaśkiewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2014

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential component of the membrane phospholipids of brain tissue and nerve fibers and they can affect the development and functioning of the brain, especially in sight process, cognitive and intellectual abilities. Due to the importance of their functions, polyunsaturated fatty acids have been the subject of numerous studies and observations in the field of neuropsychiatry including the developmental disorders, emotional and mental disorders, decreased cognitive abilities associated with the aging. Several studies have found abnormal metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids, mostly due to their deficiency in diseases such as depression, schizophrenia and autism. In addition, the pathogenesis of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline in the aging was associated with deficiencies in dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is believed that supplementation with the fatty acids omega-3 family is essential in the prevention and treatment of the nervous system diseases.

W poszukiwaniu fontanny młodości – podłoże genetyczne długowieczności oraz procesów starzenia

Author(s): Janusz Ligęza / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2018

Over the past six decades the development of medicine and improvements in living conditions have extended the life expectancy by almost 25 years; however, longer life does not go hand in hand with prolonged health span. Aging is an unavoidable process affecting everyone and from a medical point of view, delaying the aging process can bring noticeable benefits. It is especially important to maintain good health in the elderly. Due to the vast number of articles published on the topic, this publication focuses on the genetic background of aging and its delayed course. Both studies on long-lived animal species and typical animal models have shown an important role of genes that code for proteins in response to stress, DNA repair, genomic stability, and nutrient-sensing signalling pathways in aging and longevity. These observations are partially confirmed by the genetic analysis of people living 100 years and more, as well as people suffering from human premature aging-like syndromes.

Wpływ uczestnictwa w treningu zdrowotnym na koncentrację oraz sprawność funkcjonalną starszych kobiet

Author(s): Sylwia Mętel,Anna Gruchała,Elżbieta Szczygieł / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2012

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of physical exercises on concentration and functional efficiency in elderly women. The subjects consisted of 56 women, age ranged from 60-83 years. Participants were divided into study group, which consisted of 26 women participating in gymnastics classes and control group, which consisted of 30 not physically active women. The tests which were carried out: the test of attention d2, the modified get up and go test for 10 meters, 30-second chair test and evaluation of the upper body agility. The study was conducted in Krakow in the period from November 2009 to January 2010.Women with high levels of concentration represented 39% of test group and 8% of control group (p<0,001). The time of modified get up and go test for 10 meters is on average 1.53 seconds shorter in the study group than in the control group. The average number of cycles of standing up-sitting was 19.07 ± 3,98 in the study group and 15,64 ± 2,89 in control group. The average result of the assessment upper body agility in the study group was 1.98 cm and 7.5 cm in the control group. Participation in physical training signifi cantly affects the maintenance of good parameters of concentration and functional efficiency in elderly women

Opieka domowa nad seniorami w USA na przykładzie stanu Illinois

Author(s): Aleksandra Litawa / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2007

Wpływ zaspokojenia potrzeb na adaptację do starości oraz bilans życiowy

Author(s): Małgorzata Kubas / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2006

EMOTIONAL SOCIALIZATION AND AGENCY: REPRESENTATIONS OF COPING WITH OLD AGE DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER’S IN GRAPHIC NOVELS

Author(s): Andreea Iancu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

This research investigates representations of emotion work and emotional labor in caregiving, in the medium of graphic novels. The study is based on a collection of six contemporary graphic novels that discuss the relationships between older adults who are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s and their family caregivers and professional caretakers. Family caregivers are caught in a complicated web of family relationships and new, emerging caregiving roles. We rely on thematic content analysis to identify the main forms of emotional agency, structural constraints and trade-off s in family and professional situations. Emotional agency in caregiving is portrayed as situated, though emerging from divergent definitions of the situations for caretakers and patients; it is embedded in the family system, which is contrastively portrayed with the procedural, less empathic medical institution, and also with the general mass media portrayal of old age. Graphic novels contribute to the emotional socialization of people anticipating situations of suffering, or caring for mental disorders associated with old age.

Proces starzenia się ludności Polski. Przyczyny i skutki

Author(s): Eugeniusz Kowalczyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2024

At the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, 100 years have passed since the First General Census of the Republic of Poland was conducted in free Poland on September 30, 1921. It provided a lot of detailed information about the population inhabiting the lands of the emerging Second Polish Republic, regarding number and structure by age. Over the past 100 years, the age structure of Poland’s inhabitans (since World War II in other borders) has changed under the influence of both demographic factors (actual population movement) and non-demographic factors (war losses, changes in state borders). An invariable feature resulting from the influence of the above-mentioned factors, especially in the long term, remained the ageing of the population. According to forecasts, this process will also continue in the future.

Zmiana pokoleniowa kompetencji cyfrowych seniorów a perspektywy e-commerce

Author(s): Tomasz Łagutko,Daria Pigulska,Adam Kończak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 21/2024

This article presents an analysis of generational changes in digital competencies amongseniors and their impact on e-commerce development. The motivation for conducting this researchstems from the observed aging of the population and the dynamic development of informationtechnologies, which poses a challenge for society to adapt older individuals to the digital world.The main objective is to examine how the growing digital skills of future generations of seniorswill influence e-commerce. The methodology is based on the analysis of available statistical dataand a review of relevant literature. The article synthetically presents the structure of changes indigital competencies among current and future seniors, indicating significant differences betweengenerations. It also emphasizes how adaptation to new technologies can present an opportunity forthe e-commerce sector, while simultaneously requiring the adjustment of marketing strategies andofferings to meet the needs of a changing consumer group. The paper contributes to the discussionon the necessity of considering demographic and technological aspects in planning e-commercedevelopment, drawing attention to the need for digital inclusion of seniors.

Interwencje w zakresie stymulowania pamięci starszych osób bez zaburzeń poznawczych

Author(s): Monika Żak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2024

Cognitive interventions aimed at stimulating the memory of older individualswithout cognitive impairments take various forms. Among them are non-pharmacologicalapproaches focused on memory, as well as programs such as memory training. The aim of thearticle is to review the types of educational memory training programs available worldwide. Thispaper will present their characteristics and key aspects, such as program personalization and theintegration of multiple interventions. Additionally, the identification of features within the mosteffective strategies and best practices for enhancing the memory of older individuals withoutmemory impairments will be significant. This work can provide guidelines for researchers andspecialists regarding the design and development of new training concepts.

Self-creation of Older People in the Perspective of Developing Wisdom and Adaptation to Changing Roles in the Family and Society

Author(s): Jakub Fabiś / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

Old age is a stage of life during which a person must confront the changes that occur both in the reality around them and in themself. Those are changes at the biological, psychological and social levels. Adapting to old age and the roles it brings becomes a difficult and demanding task. One of the most important developmental tasks of an elderly person is developing wisdom that can support and facilitate the process of adaptation to old age. Entering the period of late adulthood is therefore a special opportunity for further development and self-creative action of the individual leading to the creation of a mature identity of an old person. The aim of this text is to provide insight into the meaning and manifestations of this self-creative involvement, with particular emphasis on its importance in the process of adaptation to changing roles in old age and building wisdom.

Aktywność społeczno-edukacyjna seniorów w środowisku wiejskim. Potencjał i ograniczenia

Author(s): Jolanta Maćkowicz,Joanna Wnęk-Gozdek,Ewa Śliwa / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2024

The aim of the text is to present the activities of seniors – residents of rural areas, as well as different obstacles typical for this living environment. The study was conducted using a collective case study with an in-depth interview (Stake 2009). The qualitative strategy enables presentation of the respondents’ individual experiences related to old age in the context of opportunities and limitations. The study covers 12 cases – native residents (aged 67-80) of villages located in different regions of Poland. The study shows that seniors in rural regions face various limitations to their activities. Most of the respondents do not remain passive in their old age and – despite difficulties – engage in activities towards self-development and activation of other seniors. However, some measures should be implemented to increase the availability of activities for senior citizens in their place of residence.

Uniejowski Uniwersytet Trzeciego Wieku jako ośrodek edukacji, aktywizacji i integracji lokalnej społeczności

Author(s): Urszula Urbaniak,Edyta Masierek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 13/2024

The article presents the history of the creation and functioning of the Uniejów University of the Third Age, which is an important centre of education and activity as well as a place for the integration of the local community. Ten years of its activity and the activities realised during this time were evaluated. An analysis was made of the number of beneficiaries and their place of residence. The importance of the Uniejów University of the Third Age for the local community, its participation in regional projects, as well as its representation in the Senior Citizens’ Council and the Civic Parliament of Seniors – which allows, among other things, for the current needs of elderly people to be taken into account in the activities planned and implemented for them – were highlighted.

A GOOD LIFE IN OLD AGE? MONITORING AND IMPROVING QUALITY IN LONG-TERM CARE

Author(s): Alexandru Liviu CERCEL / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2021

Since the early 1990s, the issue of an aging population has become one of the priority issues of the current Member States of the European Union. Historically, at least, individual concerns within each state have emerged long before we can discuss about a European policy in this direction. These concerns have naturally flowed from the evolution of European societies. The improvement of living conditions and scientific progress, especially in the medical field have led to the gradual prolongation of life expectancy. The average age of the European population has risen rapidly, while the fertility rate has fallen. The European demographic trend, visible since the 1990s, continued in the first decade of the 2000s, in parallel with unprecedented social and economic changes, which culminated in the economic crisis of a decade ago. During all this time, at the level of the European Union, but also at the level of the Member States, numerous measures and recommendations have been implemented to correct the negative effects of the aging population, promote active aging and increase the standard of living for this age group. In this study, we will analyze the most important statistical trends and policy adopted in this field at European level.

INSTITUTIONALIZATION AND THE SOCIAL ASSISTANT’S INTERVENTION TO SUPPORT THE ELDERLY

Author(s): Gabriela-Felicia GEORGEVICI,Ramona-Ana GRĂDEANU,Oana Lavinia Filip / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2023

Social care for institutionalized aged people refers to the services and support provided by social care professionals in care centres and homes for the elderly. The main aim of social care in this context is to improve the quality of life and well-being of the elderly by providing appropriate care and support. The quantitative research was carried out in the residential centre ”Bocsa Home for the Elderly” with the aim of analysing the quality of social services in the centre, as well as the social worker activity and the interaction with the institutionalized elderly. The purpose of the qualitative research was to underline the social workers’ opinions regarding the quality of social services offered at the Bocsa Home for the Elderly, according to their needs, as well as the collaborative activity of the social worker in relation to the elderly. The social worker’s role in nursing homes is essential in ensuring the well-being and quality of life of their residents. A well-designed individualized plan can ensure adequate care and support, while also respecting the individual preferences of the institutionalized elderly and promoting a higher quality of life at this stage of life.

Przeciwdziałanie marginalizacji osób starszych w pastoralnej posłudze Kościoła

Author(s): Jan Dziedzic / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2024

This article presents contemporary trends in the marginalization of seniors andsearches for ways to counteract these negative phenomena taking place today. Inour reflection, we only take into account the pastoral aspect, therefore, based onthe teachings of the Church, we will present an assessment of this phenomenon andthen present specific proposals for counteracting exclusion due to old age in pastoralactivities. The marginalization of seniors results from modern culture that prefersyouth, attractiveness and beauty. It is also caused by a family crisis, especially thelack of multi-generational families, which means that older people live alone, arerarely visited, and are placed by their relatives in care institutions. Social exclusionis also influenced by retirement and the loss of former social and material status, aswell as loss of health. The Church opposes the marginalization of seniors and calls forrespect for older people. She does this by showing the absolute value of the humanperson in every phase of life without exception. Various forms of pastoral care helpcounteract the social marginalization of the elderly. Seniors who are still active canjoin various parish communities, prayer groups, senior clubs, volunteering, or theUniversity of the Third Age. Pastoral care is also provided to seniors in situations ofillness and suffering. These include home and hospital visits, sacramental service andspiritual support.