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• University of the Third Age at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, the University of South Bohemia

  45-46

  Valérie Tóthová

  Jana Šemberová

  Views:

  83

  The goal of the paper is to present almost 30 years of activities of the University of the Third Age at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, the history of which started in 1992.
  The first discipline called Care of Humans and their Health was opened by the University of South Bohemia in the academic year 1992/93. The elderly were offered an educational six-term health and social program, while three hours of direct lessons and two counseling sessions a week (“senior Thursday) were subsidized. The students had to sit for unmarked and marked examinations, and to process and defend a thesis at the end of their study. In July 1995, 28 graduates were awarded a certificate on an extramural education in a festive ceremony. The implementation of the discipline of Care of Humans and their Health confirmed that even a non—professional leisure-time education could be provided at an “academic” level. A comprehensive view of education enabled to identify areas that should be taken into consideration during the education of elderly adults. They include areas relating to computer and functional literacy, cultivation of leisure time, culture of the interpersonal mutuality, and the human being (looking for the sense of life and higher goals).
  In the course of the thirty-year history of the University of the Third Age many activities have developed and the conception has extended. The new educational subject called Man in Health, Disease and Distress was transformed into a two-stage program offering the choice of the length and type of the educational program. The option A represented the choice of an integral and topically closed discipline while the options B and C represented the choice of the educational demandingness and inclusion in the European educational program called SoLiLL: Self-Organized Learning in Later Life. Furthermore, a conception of an extending program called Quality of life in the Old Age and other programs were offered to the elderly living in our region. As a part of the project activities, the elderly were involved in the projects of Phare a Interreg IIIA. The conception of the University of the Third Age at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia enables the applicants to complete an integral educational program, lecture blocks/cycles with various topics, and, at the same time, a unique research program called “Golden Path” focused on the Czech-Austrian border area can be completed. The uniqueness of the educational research program is evidenced by two translated monographs called “Wallern und Wallerer (Volary a Volarští - Volary citizens and Volary)“ and „Der Goldene Steig“ (Zlatá stezka – Golden Path) by the indisputably most important expert and researcher of the Golden Path, a historian living in Bavarian Waldkirchen.

• COVID-19, lockdown, elderly. Experiences of the follow up research among active older adults 2020- 2021.

  40-42

  László Patyán

  Ágnes Bene

  Ivett Stumpf-Tamás

  Views:

  166

  Introduction, aims:
  The COVID-19 pandemic caused invaluable harms on the World during last two years. Among all economic and societal consequences the negative effects for elderly people was also apparent. Researches - among others - focused on the age related inequalities for accessing and using services, economic disadvantages, the decline of psychical, physical and mental conditions, reduced quality of life, increased level of loneliness, stress and depression, such as the increase and new faces of ageism.
  This research focused on the individual and organizational consequences of COVID – 19 pandemic and the effects of the state interventions followed by. The target group were identified as active seniors who have leading positions in different local and regional senior’s associations. These people were affected individually as a member of the age group and as an experts with organizational responsibilities as well.

  Research method:
  We chose a qualitative follow up (longitudinal) research method that was committed by semi structured phone interviews, recorded and anonymised. The time of the two data record focused and followed the main Hungarian waves of the pandemic: May – June in 2020 and June – July in 2021. Sample were collected from all districts of Hungary (n=42).

  Main research topics were:
  - The situation of the older adults (experiences about the local older people, daily life, problems, issues, social connections)
  - The life in the organization (activities, new initiatives, problems, issues)
  - Individual experiences (fears, daily life, social connections, shopping habits, use of ICT, vaccination).

  Results:
  We found significant differences on the personal life situation and the perception of pandemic and related interventions during the two waves. Pandemic situation may influenced these results. The age related “stay at home campaign” made more difficulties for the older people during the first wave, meanwhile related interventions weren’t so strict during the second wave by introducing shopping timeline for older people and night curfew for all in the late nights. Even first wave did not cause such harm like the second one in Hungary.
  During the first wave we found older people as a rule following citizens. They followed all the restrictions and regulations strictly. Life situations mainly were determined by the living conditions, that is means the ones who lived in the countryside mainly a house with garden experienced less negative effects than those, who lived in the housing estate area (first wave mainly fall on March – May).
  Older people reported increased importance of the local authorities. With the lack of central supporting interventions, local authorities played main role for local support, care and security. If the local government took care of older people they felt safety. Less interventions and coordination made older people insecured.
  The second wave made new situations for people. Older adults became one of the first target groups in vaccination and people started to cope with the pandemic.
  Older adults became more critical with governmental interventions.
  Critics focussed on the
  - pandemic related communication, the vaccination (older people mainly got Shinofarm vaccine that was not accepted in the EU at that time),
  - difficulties with the availability of health services, and
  - they experienced increased economic problems.
  The life in the organization: during the first wave we found frozen life of the seniors organization, cancelled and delayed programmes. Some initiatives were also reported. People preferred to keep contact via phone instead of using another ICT tools. Some of the answerer worried about the community life, how they can restart after the pandemic, others preferred the forthcoming chance for personal meetings.
  Seniors organisations may play an important role of the senior’s life by organizing free time and social activities, advocacy, and many other aspects of active ageing. As we made a first extract of this research further analyse will focus more on the good examples and new initiatives on the social, community and organizational levels.

• Comparison of sociodemographic characteristics in nursing home residents and community-dwelling elders

  19-29

  Arzu Yüksel

  Emel Bahadir Yilmaz

  Cansu Esra Kesekci

  Views:

  133

  Purpose: This study aimed to compare the sociodemographic characteristics in nursing home residents and community-dwelling elders.

  Methods: This descriptive study consisted of 342 older people between October and November 2019 (nursing home = 79, community-dwelling = 263). The data were collected by “Questionnaire Form for Individuals Living in Nursing Homes” and “Questionnaires for Individuals Living in Community-Dwelling." Comparisons between groups were made with the chi-square test. Descriptive characteristics were presented as numbers, percentage, mean, standard deviation, min. and max. scores.

  Results: The average age of the elderly living in a nursing home was 77.35±7.40 (min: 66, max: 97). Before coming to the nursing home, 38.0% lived with their spouses. The average age of community-dwelling older people was 70.90±5.57 (min: 65, max: 88). Of community-dwelling older people, 81.7% lived with their families. There was a significant difference between both groups regarding age, income status, having a child, having a physical disability, using dentures, ability to maintain activities of daily living, self-confidence, sleep problems, social activity, smoking rates, and history of visiting a nursing home (p < 0.05).

  Conclusion: Compared to the community-dwelling older people, the elderly living in a nursing home were more senior, lonely, had a lower income, had higher physical disabilities, had lower social activity and self-confidence, had more sleep problems, and smoked.

• Activity in old age, active and successfull aging

  38-61

  Anna Ferwagner

  Views:

  125

  Background and aims: The aim of our research was a qualitative and quantitative examination of happiness and the meaning of life in old age.
  Methods: Questionnaires measuring attitudes to ageing, happiness and the meaning of life, and semi-structured interviews were recorded. In the course of the research, aging-related attitudes, happiness and the meaning of life, as well as semi-structured interviews, were recorded. The interviews were evaluated with content analysis, while the questionnaires were evaluated with statistical analysis.
  Results and discussions: The qualitative and quantitative studies complemented each other well and enriched the results of the study. In old age, the same factors that give the most meaning in life are the ones that give the most joy: the existence of family and the relationship with them, activity, leisure activities, and positive human relationships. Based on the questionnaire survey, it appears that those who are characterized by a higher level of the search for meaning prefer to experience their aging as development. Those who are characterized by a higher level of meaning experience tend to experience their aging more as a growth and, at the same time, less as a loss. In old age, activities that are full of meaning and cause a sense of flow are more pleasurable than pleasures and experiences.

• Everyone has a novel

  181-201

  Ildikó Bodnár

  Views:

  78

  From among creative activities, this paper recommends writing for elderly people as ’one novel anybody could write’. At the same time, it is common knowledge that elderly people cannot be treated uniformly as every old person is different: therefore, this activity is probably suitable for just a more limited number. The introduction highlights some of the researches concerning old age. Mention is made of the ever increasing life expectancy and of how many different kinds of age we have (feel-age, look-age, do-age, interest-age). After a short overview of the special literature and literary works about old age, the components of meaningful old age is discussed: the issues of old-age learning, reading and writing. Finally, the paper makes recommendations for elderly people wishing to make records of their thoughts and ideas.

• Meaning for the years – thoughts about the social and human science gerontology

  13-25.

  S. Simigné Fenyő

  Views:

  207

  The study consists of a theoretical and a practical part. Relying on the relevant literature and
  the practice of the world’s developed countries, the theoretical part outlines the social
  problems arising as a result of the increasing life expectancy. At the same time it seeks to find
  possibilities of solutions to these problems. It clarifies the notions of ageing and retirement
  age, Life Long Learning, and within this, the beneficial health effects of language learning. In
  addition, this part of the study introduces useful forms of activities that make sense and have
  meaning late in life. The empirical part describes the results of a survey made in Miskolc
  before the conference of gerontology in November 2017.

• Gerontofitness - the beneficial effects of regular exercise on the physical and mental health of aging people

  53-64.

  A. Csinády

  Views:

  387

  Exercise plays a vital role in lifelong development, so it is very important in the elderly. Those who exercise regularly enjoy a better cardiovascular status, their motor capabilities remain more satisfactory, they complain less of depression, sleep disorders, and stay more confident and more independent even in older ages.
  Recreational sports have expanded the sport to the everyday people, for whom the goal is to provide the fitness needed for everyday life. The new concept gerontofitness, emerged recently, which deals with the sporting activities of the elderly and the beneficial effects of those.
  Nowadays a new goal is to create programs that encourage older people to exercise regularly. At the same time, there are many obstacles to these, because the physical activity of the elderly is partly influenced by cultural factors, stereotypes and attitudes, mostly in the direction of inactivity.

• Local community practices to improve healthy aging in the North

  25-26

  Elena Golubeva

  Anastasia Emelyanova

  Views:

  109

  The governments of Finland, Denmark, Norway and Russia have developed national programs to address population ageing. There are also successful practices in healthy ageing at the local level in different countries, but they remain unknown among the global professional community and governmental authorities.

  Healthy ageing has become an important policy issue at all levels of the society. The key international document is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) plan for a Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020–2030 which is the second action plan of the WHO ‘s Global strategy on ageing and health. The Plan consists of 10 years of concerted, catalytic, sustained collaboration to improve the lives of older people, their families, and their communities. Older people themselves are in the core of this plan, and it brings together variety of actors, including governments, civil society, international agencies, professionals, academia, the media, and the private sector. The Plan also notes that healthy ageing is not only a healthcare issue but also needs to engage many other sectors.

  The aim of research was to search and introduce local community practices according the priority areas of WHO Decade of Healthy Aging action plan for gerontological policy in arctic countries.

  Examples of good practices for the Priority 1 of the Plan: Change how we think, feel and act towards age and ageing

  Fostering of Healthy Ageing requires fundamental shifts from existing stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination towards older people. Older people should not be seen only as an economic burden for the welfare society, but as contributors to the state and communities, and as resourceful carriers of traditional values and wisdom. Governments eliminate age discrimination by variety of actions, such as legislative changes, and policies and programs which engage older people in decision-making.

  Initiatives for Priority 2 of the Plan: Ensure that communities foster the abilities of older people

  The environments which are built on decisions made not only by policy makers but involve citizens of all ages are better places to grow, play, live, work and retire. Even those people who have lost their capacity, shall be able to continue to enjoy everyday activities, to continue to develop personally and professionally, to participate and contribute to their communities while retaining their autonomy, dignity, health, and well-being.

  Practices for Priority 3 of the Plan: Deliver person-centered, integrated care and primary health services to older people

  Good-quality essential health services include prevention of diseases; promotion of healthy lifestyle; curative, rehabilitative, palliative and end-of-life care; safe, effective, good-quality essential medicines and vaccines; dental care; assistive technologies, while ensuring that the use of services does not cause the user financial hardship.

  Local northern practices are mirrored against the recently released WHO Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020-2030 Action Plan with paying attention to indigenous elders. Based on these practices the national, regional, and municipal level authorities of the Nordic countries and Russia were suggested to consider the policy recommendations based of the research.

• Quality of life for social care centre clients

  11-13

  Linda Alondere

  Anda Kaulina

  Renate Juhnevica

  Views:

  82

  Introduction:
  There are approximately 60 million people over 60 years of age in the world. The United Nations predicts that by 2050 the number of people aged 60 years and older could be around 2 billion (Zaļkalns, 2015). In Latvia, every fourth inhabitant is a pensioner. Given Latvia's socio-economic situation, social and health care options for older, lonely people are becoming increasingly less accessible. A large part of the population of Latvia cannot provide themselves with quality of life in old age. If there is no family or, due to various circumstances, relatives cannot take care of the elderly, the only option is social care institutions (Slokenbeka, Zepa, 2013). The quality of life of an elderly person remains an issue when he or she is in a social care centre. Quality of life is a complex, interacting set of objective and subjective indicators in different areas of life. The World Health Organisation defines quality of life as “the perception of an individual's personal life position in the context of the cultural and value system in which the individual lives in relation to the individual's goals, expectations, standards and concerns. It is a broad concept that is influenced in complex ways by a person's physical health, psychological state, personal beliefs, social relationships and key environmental factors” (Scester, 2012).

  The Aim of the study:
  To analyse the quality of life for social care centre clients.
  
  Materials and methods:
  Quantitative research method was chosen to obtain the results. A questionnaire with 25 questions was developed. The participants of the research were clients of two social care centres (hereafter SAC) (SAC “X”, n = 50; SAC “Y”, n = 50).

  Results:
  The majority of SAC respondents have lived in the institution for more than four years (SAC “X” = 54%; SAC “Y” = 70%). In both groups, the predominant reason for being in SAC is “I am lonely, I cannot take care of myself” (SAC "X" = 62%; SAC "Y" = 58%). On the questions about the frequency of meals and the quality of food in the SAC, the data show that 78% of clients in SAC “X” and 94% in SAC “Y” are satisfied with the frequency of meals, while on the quality of food the dominant answer is “the food is satisfactory” (SAC “X” = 54%; SAC “Y” = 32%). The questions on living conditions show that SAC clients live both alone and in pairs (mainly spouses). The relationship with the roommate is described by 52% in SAC “X” and 38% in SAC “Y” with the phrase “we get along peacefully, without quarrels”. 26% of respondents in both groups describe their relationship as “very good and friendly”. SAC clients describe their financial situation as “modest”. Emotional support is received from other residents, staff and family members/relatives. Emotional uplift is also provided by various activities in the SAC and by doing things that they enjoy and find interesting, e.g., handicrafts, crossword puzzles. SAC clients note that they try to attend all events organised by the SAC, especially concerts by amateur groups and famous artists. The “feeling of security” in the SAC is prevalent in both groups of respondents (SAC “X” = 56%; SAC “Y” = 70%). Although there is a feeling of security, both groups of respondents report that they “miss the feeling of home” when living in SAC (SAC “X” = 24%; SAC “Y” = 34%).

  Conclusions:
  Clients in the social care centre are satisfied with the quality of life in the physical and social spheres, but are partially satisfied or dissatisfied with the quality of life in the emotional and area of independence. The participants often feel lonely and sad and experience longing and anticipation. Respondents in both social care centres never or rarely experience feelings such as love, joy and happiness. Respondents indicate a lack of independence, acknowledging that they have limited autonomy and that they cannot be who they are because they have to adapt to the existing regime.

  Bibliography:
  1. Zaļkalns J. (2015). Novecošana – aktualitātes un problemātika. Retrieved 25 January 2017 from http://www.afonds.lv/editor/uploads/files/prezentacijas/1_Zalkalns_Novecosana_aktualitates_ problematika.ppt
  2. Slokenbeka A., Zepa D. (2013). Vecums – liktenis, izaicinājums, dāvana. Rīga: RAKUS Atbalsta fonds. 96 lpp
  3. Šķestere, I. (2012). Pētījums par dzīves kvalitātes izvērtējuma metodēm un instrumentiem. Rīga: ES Eiropas Sociālais fonds. 43 lpp.

• Activity in old age, active and successfull aging

  73-96

  Anna Ferwagner

  Views:

  657

  Background and aims: The aim of our research was to qualitatively examine the attitudes of older people towards aging, the activity available and implemented from it, their community involvement, and their lay perceptions and opinions of successful aging.
  Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted during the research, and the interviews were evaluated by content analysis.
  Results an discussion: According to the elderly, successful aging mainly requires physical or mental health, maintaining activity, an active lifestyle, a positive outlook on life, a good family environment, social relationships, financial security, goals, motivation, successful life, advance planning, and social support.

• Contributing to the Decade of Healthy Aging in the Nordic-Russian Arctic

  4

  Anastasia Emelyanova

  Elena Golubeva

  Views:

  118

  NCM-funded project and expert network “Indigenous and non-indigenous residents of the Nordic-Russian region: Best practices for equity in healthy ageing” will be introduced.

  The Arctic population is ageing, albeit at various speed across the regions and to a different degree of “healthiness” and “inequity related to healthy ageing” across the life-course. The aim of the research is to contribute to a multidisciplinary understanding of circumstances and patterns of healthy ageing in the Nordic-Russian Arctic and share examples of new solutions as components to the Arctic member states’ national policies and in accordance with the principles of WHO “Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020–2030”.

  We will focus on a broad evaluation of opportunities the region can bring in to carry activities,  building on the principles of the WHO Global Strategy on Ageing and Health, the United Nations Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, and aligned to the timing of the United Nations Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We will identify best practices at the regional/community levels among Non- and Indigenous older residents, using comparative approach: 1. How we think, feel and act towards age and ageing, 2.Communities fostering the abilities of older people, 3.Delivering culturally safe and person centred care and health services responsive to older people.

  The project complements our on-going activities under the UArctic Thematic Network “Health and Well-being in the Arctic” and a “Development of a Think Tank Functions of the Northern Dimension Institute”.

• Social security and safety of older adults in Poland

  9-11

  Bogusława Urbaniak

  Views:

  94

  Poland’ 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.)

• A comparative analysis of the community-based care and program for the elderly in the Seychelles and Mauritius Islands

  71-75

  Vivienne Alexandra Sharri Lesperance

  Views:

  45

  The World Health Organization describes an elderly person as someone who is aged 60 years and older and further predicts that by 2030, the number of older people will rise by 1.4 billion (WHO, 2017). This phenomenon has not spared the Small Island Developing States (SIDS); according to the United Nations (2023), they anticipated growth from 6.5 to 14.0 million older persons between 2021 and 2050. Undoubtedly, these figures are indicative of significant growth in the aging population across the world, and this is merely the chronological age; needless to say, numerous physical, psychological, and environmental factors can impede longevity and healthy aging.