Stručni rad
Care for the Elderly in Croatia – The Need for New Models
Mladen HAVELKA
Sažetak
The increase in absolute and proportionate numbers of
elderly people in the population has become the most
outstanding demographic trend in the world during the past
few decades. Social consequences of such a demographic
trend are manifold and they require early planning of
optimal types of care for the elderly. Two basic principles
need to be obeyed in the planning of care for the elderly:
the principle of humanistic approach – according to which
care must be organised in a way to preserve social
participation and dignity of older people, and the principle
of the necessity of sustainable social development, i.e. that
the efforts in improving the quality of living of elderly
generations do not aggravate economic development of
society as a whole. New models of care should satisfy both
principles. For these and for reasons of individual differences
in the needs of the elderly, only the decentralised, de-
-institutionalised and care-oriented toward local resources
can satisfy all principles of care for the elderly. Stimulating
the development of such models of non-institutional care
for the elderly is an imperative to all societies which already
have or expect to have a great increase in the percentage of
old people. Based on the 2001 census, there are 15.7% of
people older than 65 years of age in Croatia, and a great increase is expected in the next ten years. Therefore the
planning of new models of comprehensive care for the
elderly is of top priority today. Beside the already existing
institutional care facilities, which will always be necessary for
the oldest categories of the chronically ill and those with
functionally diminished capacity, the new forms of care for
the elderly should be developed, particularly the noninstitutional
ones relying on the family and local community,
the models that would satisfy the principles of independence,
social participation and respect for the dignity of an elderly
individual, but at the same time would not be a financial
burden to society to the extent that might hinder economic
development. In such a decentralised model of care the most
important role in the future should be that of non-governmental
civic organisations, components of modern civil
society.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
19548
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.4.2003.
Posjeta: 6.624 *