Social contacts of seniors above 70 years of age

In my Diploma Thesis, I focused on quality and quantity of the social contacts of elderly persons above 70 years of age. This Diploma Thesis is divided into two parts. Part one is a theoretical application of terms age and aging, demographical aging of the current population, age conditioned changes, needs of elderly, socio-psychological aspects of age, social substance of age and the important meaning of elderly life. And last but not least is elderly welfare and social security scheme. The second part is practical. Another target of my thesis is to ascertain elderly above 70 years of age suppositions to establish social contacts and relationships, and what are the contact?s quantity and quality in their surroundings and how are they satisfied with those contacts. I have compared results in three different environments in which the elderly live. To achieve set targets I chose qualitative research. This research had three sections: identification questions, questions in accordance with WHO DAS II scale and open questioning. Elemental company made a group of thirty elderly persons between 70 ? 85 years of age. I approached those seniors in their common environment, in a nursing home or home for the elderly. The research results showed that social contacts are fully dependent on family functionality and friendly contacts. A senior who has lost his or her life partner often loses even many social contacts. This fact may even contribute to social isolation, which significantly affects the individual's state of health. Elderly are also insufficiently informed about opportunities to establish social contacts. This fact also negatively affects their socialization