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Are the pension systems sustainable? Comparative perspective of Slovakia pension reform
7-8Views:1322004 Pension reform in Slovakia introduced important changes in the Slovak pension system. Previous pay-as-you-go system was replaced by an obligatory two pillar system, including pay-as-you-go and individual capitalisation pillars, supplemented by a voluntary third pillar of individual savings, organised by private companies.
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The pension poor, or facing the real pension-SHOCK…..
154-176Views:413The study examines the risks, issues and possible processes of pensioner impoverishment. The risk of poverty among pensioners is influenced by a number of factors. Examining the insurance-based sustainability of the pension system, the possibilities for individual self-financing or the functioning of corrective funding mechanisms, it can be concluded that the increase in the risk of poverty among pensioners calls for more intensive public interventions.
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Social security and safety of older adults in Poland
9-11Views:303Poland’ population will be ageing at a fast rate in the coming decades. It is projected that in 2070 the Polish ratio between people aged 65 and over and those aged 15-64 years will be 62.6, the highest among EU-27 countries. Population ageing appeared in the public debate in Poland as a separate subject in the 1990s, following a negative natural population increase and the looming impact of the massive withdrawal of baby boomers from the labour market on the pension system. One of the reasons for older persons’ growing interest in retirement was pension system reforms planned by successive governments.
The announcement of the year 2012 as the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations (decision no. 940/2011/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2011) contributed in Poland to the emergence of a senior policy from a social policy and initiated major legislative, institutional, and organisational changes at the national, regional and local levels of government. It also inspired the redefinition of measures used hitherto in line with the evolution in the perception of older people from social care recipients to active members of their communities entitled to education and economic, social, civic and political activity. In 2013, the Senior Policy Council was established as a consultative and advisory body to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, and then similar councils supporting regional and local authorities were organised.
In order to encourage greater activity among seniors, a special governmental programme was created in December 2013, which grants funds on a competitive basis to projects concerning social activities, education, and intergenerational cooperation submitted by informal and formal groups of seniors.
The national government’s key documents on senior policy, one for the period from 2014 to 2020 and the other spanning the years until 2030, are Resolution 238 of 24 Dec. 2013 by the Board of Ministers on the Adoption of Long-term Senior Policy in Poland for the Years 2015-2020 and Resolution 161 of 28 Oct. 2018 by the Board of Ministers on the adoption of Social Policy Towards the Older Persons 2030. Security-Participation-Solidarity. In 2015, the Polish Parliament passed the elderly people act, which requires institutions in charge of the well-being of older persons to monitor and report on their situation. The reports submitted by the institutions are used by the Ministry of Labour to compile and present an annual evaluation of the status of the older population in Poland.
The regional governments’ senior policy is reflected in their social policy strategies. The strategies’ operational goals started to address needs specific to older people since 2002, focusing in particular on improving their quality of life, developing round-the-clock care services, at-home care services, and rehabilitation services, and on reducing social exclusion and marginalization of seniors.
Social security and the safety of older adults are progressively improving in Poland, but the greatest progress has been made in the area of active ageing. Social care services for the elderly still require improvement, because the predominant family care model is inefficient in many ways due to:
- limited financing of care services by public institutions,
- the growing proportion of single elderly persons,
- the increasing number of people aged 85+ (the so-called double population ageing),
- social insurance disregarding long-term care to an elderly family member as an insurable risk,
- a lack of legislation allowing employed people to seek a long-term leave to give care to an older family member,
- the informal expectation that women who retire at the age of 60 years will take care of the oldest family members.
While neither the scale nor the quality of home care services given to older persons is regularly surveyed in Poland, it can be presumed that the scale of care services is insufficient and that they excessively burden families with a member in need of care. Between 2010 and 2018, the number of persons aged 65+ increased in Poland by over 1.5 million, the number of the users of attendance services and specialised attendance services by 29,000 (from 99,000 to 128,000), and the number of residences in homes and facilities providing assistance to aged persons by 7,000 (from 20,000 to 27,100.)
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Családi (informális) gondozást segítő rendszerek Magyarországon
34-48Views:509The member states of the European Union have to face the challenge of demographic aging. Taking the demographic characteristics of the member states, there are no essential differences in either the current or in the expected future development of the proportion of elderly people. Ageing affects several areas of the welfare regimes, but it is usually the health and pension systems and personal services that are highlighted. This paper deals with a special area of personal services, the family (informal) care and the support of carers in Hungary. The study introduces definitions of the informal care, welfare policies on family caregivers, the systematization attempts of the care policy in the member states, it analyzes the recent past and currently perceived care policy processes and ideologies, and finally describes the specific situation in the former Communist countries through an example of a Hungarian care policy. The basic idea of the article is that although the demographic challenges are similar, but the service policy and the development of the institutional systems show significant differences in each country. In addition to the underdeveloped institutional service system in the different countries, the post-Communist countries lack the supporting tools of the caring family members.
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Hungarian Gerontology 16 (Conference Issue) 2024 Full Issue
Views:40Dear Reader,
On October 10–11, 2024, we successfully organized the 17th International Scientific Conference and Professional Meeting of Gerontology Days. This year’s theme, “Cooperation,” served as the central thread connecting the numerous presentations delivered in both Hungarian and English. The conference itself exemplified this spirit of collaboration, as reflected in the event’s key highlights: · 5 Sponsors supported the event, enriching the conference with their contributions: Pasta of Tiszaörs, the Caring Watch Program, the Pécs Community Foundation (with the P-AGE Conscious Aging Program), the Rural Treasure Association, and the Association of Sarud. · 7 Partners contributed to the organization: o Hungarian Academy of Sciences Regional Committee (Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County) – Lifestyle and Health Research Interdisciplinary Working Committee o Hungarian Academy of Sciences Regional Committee – Medical Committee (Geriatrics and Social Gerontology Working Committee) o Hungarian Women’s Career Development Association o National Association of Doctoral Students, Department of Economics o Hungarian Association of Consumer Advocates o Economic Competition Advisory Office Network o Financial Navigator Advisory Office Network · 2 Conference Days: The first day featured Hungarian-language presentations, while the second day focused on English-language sessions. · 2 Organizing Institutions & Conference Chairs: o Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen – Dr. habil. Marianna Móré (Dean) o Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta – Dr. Maria Aurora Fenech (Senior Lecturer) · 4 Scientific Committee Members and 13 Organizing Committee Members, whose dedication ensures the event’s success year after year. · 7 Plenary Lectures (5 on the Hungarian day, 2 on the English day). 3 · 12 Thematic Sections (7 on the Hungarian day, 5 on the English day). · 92 Section Presentations (43 in Hungarian, 49 in English). A Special Issue of Hungarian Gerontology (Vol. 16, 2024) has been prepared based on these presentations. The research showcased the diverse realities of aging populations worldwide, including: · Self-determination challenges among Malta’s elderly · Slovakia’s pension system · Poland’s “silver economy” · Syria’s healthcare landscape · The status of Nigeria’s elderly population · Digital learning capabilities of older adults in Germany · Simulation model applications · Dementia home care challenges in Hungary (examined through literary works) · AI in doctor-patient communication · The Grany Adoption Foundation in Kyrgyzstan · Aging in the Philippines and other nations, highlighting both struggles and positive aspects of later life. We hope this collection offers you a profound and enlightening exploration of global aging perspectives.
With warm regards, Edina Molnár Plenary Chair, Hungarian Day
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Former builders and constractors and now the poorest and discriminated pensioners
28-30Views:125It is a real fact that the generation of the current pensioners during their active productive life have created a lot of various facilities that are still available and successfully utilized for the benefits of citizens. Especially, in former socialist countries they created enormous amounts of facilities that later on during the privatization as a part of the transformation process from the former socialist command economy to current market economy have become the property of the foreign investors.