期刊名称：Drustvena istrazivanja. Journal for General Social Issues
印刷版ISSN：1330-0288
出版年度：2003
卷号：12
期号：1-2 (63-64)
页码：225-245
出版社：Institute of Social Sciences IVO PILAR
摘要：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.
