Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The process of population aging implies an increased need for assistance to the elderly. Disabilities or chronic illnesses may further impair one’s ability to live on one’s own, perform household chores, and take care of one’s needs. Other factors determining the possibility of obtaining care include: family status, informal non-family support networks, services offered by private companies, and the capacity of local authorities to supply care (in the form of personal household services or institutional care). The aim of the conducted research was to identify demand for care among the seniors aged seventy-five plus and to diagnose how do they function in atomized families. The analytical approach is to examine the care of elderly from the perspective of two generations, supported (seniors) and supporting (the family caregivers), and to identify the implications of an aging population and family network verticalization for elderly care system. This was achieved by pursuing the following specific objectives: Diagnosis of the situation of the needs of the oldest seniors in care. The degree of care to meet the needs of the family (reconciliation of professional and caring by those providing support); Indication of possibilities to improve the efficiency of support to the oldest seniors through the analysis of potential care needs of the family, the local government and the health care system; and Estimation of the future growth of demand for assistance provided not only by family and close friends, but also by care services and through institutional support (especially when the senior has no family or the family cannot provide adequate care).