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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:

  54

  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.

• Social security and safety of older adults in Poland

  9-11

  Views:

  72

  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.)

• The good practice of inclusion in action - the proposal of program based on the Human Rights

  38-39

  Marzanna Farnicka

  Views:

  50

  Rapidly changing time is a problem: are we able to deal with all challenges in a humanistic and peaceful way? Is it possible? Do falling barriers to trade have led to a rapid change in social life and in the movement of products and labor? With these exciting transformations also came great challenges and threats, at a time when we seem to like each other less and less, with partisan affective polarization on the rise in a country after country.
  The paper presents definitions of phenomenon of marginalization and exclusion from European perspective. The main idea of its lecture and planned project is the presentation the intervention program among seniors based on heritage of work the French Research Committee on Violence, Crime and Delinquency, who published 40 years ago a document Society against Violence. The document contained analyses on the occurrence of social problems and their determinants, as well as guidelines to reduce risks and reduce the sense of threat and insecurity in modern society. Based on the conclusion included into Report “Society against Violence” the special training was prepared. The theoretical assumption of the project is Levinian model of changes in society and his methodology of action research. The aims of program are to change attitudes in the field of knowledge and attitudes towards the used violence and to improve the skills to react in situations of confrontation with institutional or press aggression or the so-called manifestations of "hate speech" in education institutions. Because of Coronavirus lockdown only idea and first step of implementation (the realisation was stopped) is possible to presentation.

  Maybe the program is in a primary stage but we believe that modern societies should relay and based on the idea of Human Rights and spread them elsewhere and that violence in modern societies should be reduced by human rights and democracy education.
  The document became the basis for the reflection on public debate on violence in international communities and psychological practice against violence in interpersonal and social meaning. The article presents the possible directions of research and psychological interventions in this area especially among seniors. This perspective is worth to be underlined because it is a part of wider trend in preparation social support programmes focused on inclusion adults from a difficult sociocultural environment. Such programmes could improve competencies to protect social capital of societies. The content and scope of these programmes should be drawn from knowledge of the relationships between the various risk factors, protective factors and developmental processes in groups and societies and combine knowledge, practical useful skills and good psychological experience by continue containing with life.

• 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:

  55

  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.

• Changes in digital skills of seniors during and after covid-19

  115-125

  Views:

  61

  Since 2014, the Senior Academy of Pécs helps people over 60 with tools for active and successful aging. The activity of the academy was cut short by the COVID-19 epidemic, our work was relegated to the online learning space. Our research examined how the digital skills of our seniors changed during and after the quarantine, in 2021 and 2022. The study was carried out by online questionnaire (n=118, n=123). The survey revealed that the digital skills of 45% of the respondents improved, mostly in online shopping and administration. Most of the seniors learn ICT knowledge from their family members or friends. During the quarantine our students spent their time mainly reading and learning online, watching TV takes only 4%. 10% of them clearly experienced the epidemic situation as a loss: "the daily rhythm is missing". 6% of the respondents considered the current situation to be an advantage: their attitude towards learning improved, they were more forced to self-directed learning. The advantages of online education: flexibility in space and time, participation is safe, lectures can be watched any time. The most typical negatives are: the lack of community and discussion, and the fact that online education does not reduce loneliness.

• „Learning my age” Improving interactive curriculum for the eldery generation’s active lifestyle and related topics

  116-118

  Éva Réti

  Views:

  81

  Approaching the learning of the third age, the question is no longer whether the elderly can be taught or retrained, but for how long and for what purpose? Deviations from the learning paths that individuals have developed over the decades are unlikely in old age. Non-formal learning becomes more important and plays an increasing role, and less constrained forms of leisure learning for entertainment become more important. Mental freshness is largely supported by books, online courses and programs provided by senior universities.

  In my presentation, I introduce an interactive curriculum as a possible new form of learning. I have combined e-learning solutions in old age that affect everyone as a new learning method. I would like to introduce the 50+ age group to the possibilities offered by microlearning. Most of us read, learn things after we have engaged at some level. I would like to prevent this step. I am also looking for answers to questions like, does the 50+ age group have the right skills and motivation to effectively adopt an online course or e-learning curriculum In the process of aging - can an e-learning curriculum be a good motivation for course participants because it touches them or prevents them? The lessons of the experiment, both positive and negative, are presented.

• Social service delivery for senior citizens in rural Philippines and secrets to longevity of Apo Whang-od

  2-14

  Climson L. Balangue

  Views:

  28

  Access to social services such as healthcare, transportation, and financial support can be limited, leaving many elderly individuals vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion. This paper examined the recent elderly demographics, status of social service delivery, the roles of traditional and cultural practices, and specific challenges faced by older persons in rural areas, using the case of Apo Whang-od and her community, Buscalan that is in the municipality of Tinglayan, Province of Kalinga, Philippines. Using a mixed methods approach, this paper revealed that almost 11% of Tinglayan’s population is elderly, mostly indigenous people with a relatively low literacy rate, and low-income earners who are engaged mostly in subsistence farming and small-scale traditional craft making. Also, there are substantial government programs and services offered by existing laws; however, access to these is challenged by limited access to education and healthcare services, with long travel distances and a lack of transportation being major barriers. Financial difficulties were also observed, with no or few having access to social security benefits and reasonable amounts of pensions. The challenges can also be attributed to an unfavorable geographical location, conflicts with neighboring tribes, limited local government funds, lack of knowledge, and inadequate social service centers within the locality. Tinglayan’s cultural values were also found to play a pivotal role in supplementing the scarce social services by fostering a supportive atmosphere for the elderly. Analysing Apo-Whag-od's longevity, it was revealed that she lived a longer life because she ate organic and locally sourced food, slept well, laughed a lot, engaged in regular physical activity, nurtured her spiritual well-being, built strong relationships with her family and community, and kept a positive outlook. In conclusion, social demographics shows that elderlies in rural areas are disadvantaged, which calls for more efficient and effective access, delivery, and availability of social services. Moreover, policymakers are enjoined to accelerate social infrastructures, expand social protection programs, and support intergenerational solidarity and resilience and cultural preservation. Lastly, Apo Whang-od’s legacy lives on. Her popularity not only gained revitalization of the Kalinga tattoo culture, but it also inspired people to follow her steps to longer and happier way of life.

• The impact of some elements of digitisation and education for the elderly - before the quarantine situation

  29-51

  Views:

  507

  Digitalisation is one of the most important elements of the changes of the 21st century. The study describes the social impact of some areas of digitalisation, especially for the older generations. Beyond the health aspects there are two areas - the supporting power of the community and the fight against loneliness - which give the core of the social importance of the innovative solutions in Hungary.