Poverty in old age

Osim trenda starenja stanovništva, Republiku Hrvatsku prati trend visoke stope rizika od siromaštva osoba starije životne dobi. Usporedno s ostalim zemljama Europske unije, Hrvatska pripada u kategoriju zemalja s visokim rizikom od siromaštva u starijoj dobi. S obzirom na definiciju siromaštva kao materijalne oskudice, prihodi su važni za razumijevanje siromaštva i kvalitete života starijih osoba. Mirovinski sustav i sustav socijalne politike su dva najvažnija faktora u borbi protiv siromaštva u starijoj dobi. Osim loše financijske slike i neadekvatnih ili nikakvih mirovinskih primanja, neki od rizičnih čimbenika za siromaštvo u starosti su ženski spol, samačko kućanstvo, loše zdravstveno stanje i socijalna isključenost. S obzirom na važnost uloge države u borbi protiv siromaštva, potrebno je osvijestiti javnost o ovom socijalnom problemu kao i povećati adekvatnost i pokrivenost socijalnim naknadama. U radu s ljudima koji žive u siromaštvu, važnu ulogu imaju i socijalni radnici, na individualnoj i na kolektivnoj razini.In addition to the trend of population aging, Croatia is followed by trend of a high rate of risk of poverty among elderly people. Compared to other countries of the European Union, Croatia belongs to the category of countries with high risk of poverty in old age. As the definition of poverty is material deprivation, income is important for understanding poverty and the quality of life of the elderly. The pension system and the social policy system are most important factors in the fight against poverty in old age. In addition to poor financial picture and inadequate or no pension income, some of the risk factors for poverty in old age are female gender, single households, poor health, and social exclusion. Considering the importance of the state's role in the fight against poverty, it is necessary to make the public aware of this social problem, as well as to increase the adequacy and coverage of social benefits. In working with people living in poverty, social workers also play an important role, at the individual and collective level