Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in Croatia
Ageing and depopulation are the fundamental demographic processes in the development of the population of Croatia. In the total population in 2001 the age group encompassing persons 65 years of age and older made up 15.7% of the total population. The age structure of the population is one of the ess...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies
2007-06-01
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| Series: | Migracijske i etničke teme |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/22145 |
| _version_ | 1797282435386310656 |
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| author | Sonja Podgorelec Sanja Klempić |
| author_facet | Sonja Podgorelec Sanja Klempić |
| author_sort | Sonja Podgorelec |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ageing and depopulation are the fundamental demographic processes in the development of the population of Croatia. In the total population in 2001 the age group encompassing persons 65 years of age and older made up 15.7% of the total population. The age structure of the population is one of the essential determinants of the quality of lives of individuals, especially within the family. Based on an analysis of demographic indicators (the population structure, the ratio of females, the ageing index, the age coefficient, average age, age-dependency ratios, marital status), and a brief review of migration history in the second half of the 20th century, the goal of this paper is to evaluate the quality of non-formal care of the elderly in relation to potential care providers. Due to ageing in the total population of Croatia, due to a reduction in the number of children per family and separate residences of adult children and their elderly parents, the circle of main care providers for the elderly has diminished. With the decrease in the number of family members, increasingly frequent forms of single-parent families and the employment of women, who were traditionally the most important providers of all forms of non-formal care, insufficient care for the elderly within families has become a problem. Despite changes in the way of life, the family is still the basic source of emotional, informational and instrumental support for elderly people. The help and support that the elderly receive from friends is roughly equal in the city and in villages, although neighbourly help is somewhat greater in non-urban areas (for example in Istria and on the islands). However, researches confirm that the social network of support and help among the rural population has changed since the nineties of the last century. To a certain extent the support of friends and neighbours may substitute the lack of care by children, but a weaker network of homes for the elderly and the infirm in non-urban areas, and thereby also poorer organization of non-institution help, calls for the better organisation of formal care for elderly persons, especially in less populated and less developed areas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:12:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b9825951ef84b72b5b995aad2d8f4fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1333-2546 1848-9184 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:12:58Z |
| publishDate | 2007-06-01 |
| publisher | Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Migracijske i etničke teme |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b9825951ef84b72b5b995aad2d8f4fe2024-03-03T00:28:09ZengInstitute for Migration and Ethnic StudiesMigracijske i etničke teme1333-25461848-91842007-06-01231-2111134Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in CroatiaSonja PodgorelecSanja KlempićAgeing and depopulation are the fundamental demographic processes in the development of the population of Croatia. In the total population in 2001 the age group encompassing persons 65 years of age and older made up 15.7% of the total population. The age structure of the population is one of the essential determinants of the quality of lives of individuals, especially within the family. Based on an analysis of demographic indicators (the population structure, the ratio of females, the ageing index, the age coefficient, average age, age-dependency ratios, marital status), and a brief review of migration history in the second half of the 20th century, the goal of this paper is to evaluate the quality of non-formal care of the elderly in relation to potential care providers. Due to ageing in the total population of Croatia, due to a reduction in the number of children per family and separate residences of adult children and their elderly parents, the circle of main care providers for the elderly has diminished. With the decrease in the number of family members, increasingly frequent forms of single-parent families and the employment of women, who were traditionally the most important providers of all forms of non-formal care, insufficient care for the elderly within families has become a problem. Despite changes in the way of life, the family is still the basic source of emotional, informational and instrumental support for elderly people. The help and support that the elderly receive from friends is roughly equal in the city and in villages, although neighbourly help is somewhat greater in non-urban areas (for example in Istria and on the islands). However, researches confirm that the social network of support and help among the rural population has changed since the nineties of the last century. To a certain extent the support of friends and neighbours may substitute the lack of care by children, but a weaker network of homes for the elderly and the infirm in non-urban areas, and thereby also poorer organization of non-institution help, calls for the better organisation of formal care for elderly persons, especially in less populated and less developed areas.http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/22145ageingelderly peoplefamilyintergenerational supportnon-formal care |
| spellingShingle | Sonja Podgorelec Sanja Klempić Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in Croatia Migracijske i etničke teme ageing elderly people family intergenerational support non-formal care |
| title | Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in Croatia |
| title_full | Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in Croatia |
| title_fullStr | Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in Croatia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in Croatia |
| title_short | Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in Croatia |
| title_sort | ageing and non formal care for elderly persons in croatia |
| topic | ageing elderly people family intergenerational support non-formal care |
| url | http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/22145 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sonjapodgorelec ageingandnonformalcareforelderlypersonsincroatia AT sanjaklempic ageingandnonformalcareforelderlypersonsincroatia |