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• 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.

• Association between leisure activities, anxiety, depression and well-being of older adults living in nursing homes in Slovakia

  40-41

  Mária Sováriová Soósová

  Views:

  60

  Engaging in leisure activities (LA) is associated with physical, psychological and social benefits leading to feelings of happiness, life satisfaction and successful ageing in older adults.

• Supporting ageing with a positive psychological framework and tools

  32

  Agota Kun

  Views:

  30

  In the classical literature, but also in the everyday approach, ageing is mostly associated with decline, deterioration of various skills, abilities, capacities, mental dysfunction, increasing inactivity, shrinking relationships and similar, more negative characteristics. We think of ageing as if it were a necessarily negative, unavoidable and unavoidable deterioration - but one that we must accept passively, at the same time - at the physical, mental and psychological levels. The presentation will focus on the reinterpretation offered by a positive psychology approach, pointing out that the second half of life is not necessarily about decline, mental problems, dissatisfaction or bitterness, but can also be about fulfilment, happiness, discovering and exploiting new potentials and strengths, new goals and living a truly fulfilling life. What is at stake to make this happen? How can we support this with the tools of positive psychology? The presentation will not be about anti-ageing tips, but about how to promote mental health in later life so that we can live ourselves and our lives to the full in this period of life with a positive outlook. The focus will be on the how, so the knowledge and a possible toolkit of interventions will be presented.

• Satisfaction with the implementation of developmental tasks in the course of life and the sense of well-being in late adulthood

  31-33

  Hanna Liberska

  Views:

  73

  Introduction
  The subject of the sense of psychological well-being in people in late adulthood and its determinants has been of great interest for several dozen years among researchers and broad social groups, including people of senior age.
  Aims
  The aim of the presented research was to explain the relationship between coping with life challenges, which are developmental tasks culturally assigned to successive periods of adult life, and the sense of well-being in the last period of life. The study also drew attention to the importance of selected socio-demographic variables for the sense of well-being of people in late adulthood, namely gender, age, level of education, family situation and material (financial) condition. In line with the positive psychology approach, these factors were expected to be of limited importance for the sense of well-being.
  Methodology
  155 people aged over 65 (late adulthood) took part in the study, 53% of whom were men and 47% of women. The author's questionnaire was used to examine satisfaction with the implementation of developmental tasks (Liberska, 2019), the Mental Wellbeing Questionnaire (L.Wojciechowska, 2008) and a questionnaire collecting basic sociodemographic data. The analysis of the research results showed significant relationships between the implementation of developmental tasks and the sense of well-being. Age of the respondents did not differentiate the sense of well-being.
  Conclusion
  People's sense of well-being in late adulthood is related to coping with developmental tasks in adult life and the current family and economic situation.
  1. the results of the statistical analysis did not show statistically significant differences between men and women in the level of psychological well-being: t (152) = -0,63, p = 0,52 (women – M = 87,25, SD = 12,73; men – M = 88,52, SD = 12).
  2. people with higher education had a higher level of the general indicator of the sense of well-being than people with secondary (Z=-2.04, p=0.041), vocational (Z=-3.52, p=0.001) and primary education (Z=-3.22, p=0.01)
  3. financial status differentiates the sense of well-being of people in late adulthood: people with good economic status have a higher sense of well-being than people with average status (Z = -3.23, p = 0.001) and below average (Z = -2.03; p = 0.043)
  4. the results of the statistical analysis showed that people with different marital status differ in the level of mental well-being: married people in late adulthood have a significantly higher level of mental well-being than widowed people (Z=-3.18, p=0.001).
  5. among the six dimensions that create mental well-being, the highest value was obtained on the self-acceptance subscale; ANOVA shows significant differences between the subscales of the sense of well-being; F= 7829,05; p< 0,001; η2=0,99).
  Generally, this result confirms the importance of self-acceptance for the general psychosocial condition of a person (see Ryff, 1989).
  References:
  Liberska, H. (2019). Żródła satysfakcji z życia w starości. W: M.Kielar-Turska (red.), Siła umysłu w starości. Starość: jak ją widzi psychologia (s. 537-552). Kraków: Akademia Ignatianum.
  Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness Is Everything or Is It? Explorations on the Meaning of Psychological Wellbeing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069-1081; http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069
  Wojciechowska, L. (2008). Style starzenia się a subiektywny dobrostan kobiet w późnej dorosłości, studiujących na uniwersytecie trzeciego wieku. Polskie Forum Psychologiczne, 2, 106- 123.

• COVID -19 pandemic, surveys on elderly about vaccination. National and European perspectives

  14-17

  Katarzyna Bałandynowicz-Panfil

  Șerban Olah

  Győző Pék

  Adrienn Kaszás

  Balázs Őrsi

  Views:

  143

  A summary of Symposium titled COVID-19 pandemic, surveys on elderly about vaccination reserved in this abstract.
  The severe cases of COVID-19 in Europe. A comparative analysis using SHARE data base
  The paper focuses on the severe cases of COVID-19 in Europe and the predictors of these cases. The author used the secondary analysis of a large data base (SHARE) of persons aged 50 or more from the EU countries and the Switzerland. The data have been collected in the summer of 2020. In the first part the focus is on the theoretical starting point of the analysis. In the second part the main outputs are presented.
  How to convince the undecided - communication with the elderly and attitudes towards vaccination COVID-19 in Poland
  The pandemic has had its toll on the socio-economic life of most people. Governments and international organizations face new challenges in a situation of uncertainty. Social campaigns are designed to encourage as many people as possible to join the vaccination plan. Achieving population resilience requires a significant commitment of organizational, financial and communication resources.
  Older people constitute a priority group in the vaccination system in Poland. However, despite the measures taken, there remains a significant share of seniors who remain reluctant to vaccination. The government is taking further pro-turnout measures targeted at the elderly. The shortcomings of the existing strategies should be eliminated for the benefit of society.
  The aim is to summarize the research conducted in the field of the needs and possibilities of communication with the elderly, attitudes towards vaccinations and sources of influence on making purchasing decisions of seniors.
  Vaccination attitudes – international project in Central and Eastern Europe
  The beginnings of the project date back to 2020. The uncertainty that became commonplace in the times of the pandemic indicated new areas of previously unknown dependencies. Stress, uncertainty, attitudes towards the threat, protective behaviour, and soon also attitudes towards vaccination seemed the most important at that time. Examining the existing dependencies would allow a better understanding of the phenomenon of social responses to the pandemic and would support governmental and non-governmental, national and international actions that would be an important tool in the fight against the negative consequences of a spreading COVID-19.
  Scientists from Central and Eastern European countries representing different disciplines (sociology, economics, communication, statistics, psychology and psychiatry) joined forces in a common international project investigating the relationship between attitudes towards vaccines and the level of perceived mental health, uncertainty, socio-demographic variables and the level of religiosity. Core aims of the project were to analyse the model of predictors concerning demographic, psychological, and social factors influencing the intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 and to provide the information to prepare and implement more effective and efficient health messaging strategies and campaigns targeting groups reluctant to COVID-19 vaccination in Eastern and Central European countries.
  The project involved the development of a common research tool - a questionnaire, parallel research in four countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Hungary), more than 2000 respondents (unvaccined adults) and joint development of the results of the analysis, using the potential of all involved partners.
  The project is still developed to next stages of investigation. Results will be published in high quality journals in years 2022 and 2023.

  Partners involved represent: University of Gdańsk (Poland), University of Oradea (Romania), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), University of Debrecen (Hungary).
  More information: k.balandynowicz@ug.edu.pl.
  Survey on unvaccinated Hungarian elderly people during the COVID-19 pandemic
  During the pandemic, we performed a comparative study of the Hungarian unvaccinated people, focusing on psychological and demographic aspects in our questionnaire. The survey data collection lasted from 27 August to 13 October 2021. Participants were over 18 years of age who have not yet received any vaccination against the COVID-19 virus.
  The method used is an on-line questionnaire survey.
  The survey is not for political but for scientific purposes, and we hope that its results will contribute to a more professional management of the COVID-19 epidemic. The survey of Hungarian team was conducted in collaboration with Polish, Slovenian and Romanian university researchers.
  The test dimensions are as follows:
  Well-being at the time of pandemic (happiness, health.)
  Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS21)
  Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale (VAX)
  Sources of information about vaccination
  Religiosity level
  Demographics (metrics)
  The presentation focuses on the most important aspects of the first analysis of the Hungarian results. The study involved 478 people: 113 men, 363 women, and 2 people identified as “other”. It is worth highlighting from the first processing of the data that a large number of unvaccinated people do not believe that they are at risk of getting the COVID-19 virus. In our sample 42% of the unvaccinated are very sure that the vaccine will not work, and 30.6% are afraid that they will become infected because of the vaccine. They do not usually feel safe after vaccinations, they are afraid of the undiscovered consequences, and they trust more in their natural immunity. 61.8% definitely do not want a vaccine for themselves, nor in the future. 67.3% want to wait to see how vaccines work in other people. During processing, we could identify the ones with a definite anti-vaccination attitude. They were also analyzed on the basis of their political affiliation, religiosity, and place of residence. Regarding the DASS-21 depression subscale, the young age group scored significantly higher than the elderly. According to the DASS-21 stress subscale, the value belonging to young people is significantly higher than that of older people. On the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale’s concerns about financial profiteering subscale, seniors scored significantly higher. Interpreting our results in the context of parallel international studies is also part of our objectives. Our results provide an opportunity to serve important aspects for the communication strategies with unvaccinated elderly.

• 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.