Life satisfaction of elderly in Varazdin county

S obzirom na trenutni demografski trend starenja stanovništva, koji ne zaobilazi ni Republiku Hrvatsku, broj osoba starije životne dobi će rasti, kao i potreba za boljom zdravstvenom skrbi. Osim neformalne skrbi o starijim osobama, koja je još uvijek većinski zastupljena u Republici Hrvatskoj, postoji sve veća potreba i za institucionalnim oblicima skrbi. Sukladno tome povećava se i zanimanje u istraživanju kvalitete skrbi kao i kvalitete života starijih osoba smještenih u institucije. Zadovoljstvo životom posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća izaziva pojačanu pozornost znanstvenika koji se bave širim područjem kvalitete života. Ono se definira kao kognitivna komponenta subjektivne dobrobiti, a obuhvaća procjenu i evaluaciju kvalitete vlastitog života prema kriterijima koje osoba starije životne dobi smatra važnim. Cilj ovog rada je ispitati razinu zadovoljstva životom, kao i razlike u pojedinim segmentima zadovoljstva životom osoba starije životne dobi na području Varaždinske županije. Ispitivanje je provedeno na uzorku od 107 ispitanika s područja Varaždinske županije, od kojih je 64 ženskog spola i 43 muškog spola. Najviše ispitanika bilo je u rasponu od 60-70 godina. Istraživanje je provedeno pomoću anketnog upitnika. Analizirala se procjena zadovoljstva i važnosti pojedinih segmenata u životu kao što je: materijalno blagostanje, zdravlje, odnosi s obitelji i drugim osobama, sigurnost, emocionalno blagostanje i osjećaj sreće. Dobiveni rezultati prikazuju da osobe starije životne dobi, sudionici ovog ispitivanja, procjenjuju ukupnu kvalitetu života prilično dobro. Procjena zdravstvenog statusa razlikuje se s obzirom na mjesto stanovanja. Ljudi koji borave u domovima za starije i nemoćne lošije rocjenjuju svoje zdravlje, nego oni koji žive u vlastitim kućanstvima. Osobe koje žive u vlastitom domu iskazuju veće zadovoljstvo od osoba koje žive u domu za starije i nemoćne osobe. Ispitanici su generalno najzadovoljniji osjećajem sigurnosti i zadovoljstva u domu. Potrebno je uložiti veće napore u istraživanju kvalitete i zadovoljstva životom, kako bi se unaprijedila skrb za osobe starije životne dobi i udovoljili zahtjevima društva za „kvalitetnim životom“.Considering the current demographic trend of the ageing of population, which does not circumvent Croatia either, the number of elderly people will increase, as well as the need for a better healthcare. Besides the informal care for the elderly, which is still largely represented in Croatia, there is a growing need for institutional forms of care as well. The interest in research and measurement of the quality of life of the elderly is increasing accordingly. In the last few decades, life satisfaction has been attracting greater attention of scientists who deal with the wider area of the quality of life, which is defined as the cognitive component of the subjective well-being and it encompasses the assessment and the evaluation of the quality of their own life according to criteria they consider to be important. The aim of this paper is to examine both the level of life satisfaction and the differences in certain segments of life satisfaction of elderly people in the Varaždin County. The survey was conducted on a sample of 107 respondents from Varaždin County, of which 64 were female and 43 male. Most respondents were in the range between 60 to 70 years of age. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire. The assessment of life satisfaction, as well as the importance of certain segments of life (material well-being, health, family and other relationships, safety, emotional well-being and the feeling of happiness) was analysed. The obtained results show that elderly people, participants in this study, estimate the overall quality of life as sufficiently good. The assessment of the health status differs with regard to the place of residence. People residing in retirement homes are more likely to assess their health more poorly than the people living in their own homes. People living in their own homes show greater life satisfaction than people living in retirement homes. The participants are generally satisfied the most with the feeling of safety and contentment at home. Seeing that we are facing a society with even greater demands for a “good life”, greater efforts are necessary in research of quality of life and life satisfaction to improve the overall care for the elderly