OLD AGE AND AGING IN SLOVENIA

Izhodišče: Staranje je naraven proces, ki kljub dejstvu, da se stara vse na svetu, naj bo to stvar ali živo bitje, pri ljudeh še vedno vzbuja negativna čustva, kot so strah, tesnoba in zaskrbljenost. Vsa ta čustva pri človeku nastajajo zlasti zaradi posameznikove zavesti, da je starost zadnja pot, ki jo bo prehodil v svojem življenju, nato pa se bo moral posloviti. Zaskrbljenost pri ljudeh danes povzroča še naraščajoče število starih ljudi, le-to pa vpliva na življenje celotne družbe. Namen: Namen diplomskega dela je predstaviti vpliv staranja prebivalstva na življenje v Sloveniji in ugotoviti, kako mlada, aktivna populacija dojema starostnike in njihovo starost, hkrati pa nas zanima tudi, kako se danes stari ljudje počutijo oziroma kako razumejo svoj položaj v družbi. Raziskovalna metodologija: Teoretični del diplomskega dela je rezultat študija strokovne in znanstvene literature. Raziskovalni del diplomskega dela temelji na anonimnem anketnem vprašalniku, ki smo ga pripravili sami. Anketni vprašalnik sestoji iz 18 vprašanj in sicer 7 zaprtega in 11 polodprtega tipa. Rezultati: Rezultati raziskave kažejo, da imajo tako mladi kot stari ljudje do starosti in staranja še vedno pretežno negativen in stereotipen odnos, za katerega lahko vidimo, da se spreminja v pozitivno smer. Kakovost življenja starejših ljudi je odvisna od posameznika, kako starost doživlja, in tudi od tega, kako je družba kot celota naklonjena staranju. Sklep: Za lepše in srečnejše življenje tako mladih kot starih ljudi je potrebno, da drug drugemu prisluhnejo, se med seboj povezujejo oziroma sprejmejo drug drugega. Na takšen način bodo lahko mladi s pomočjo nasvetov izkušenih starih ljudi lažje živeli svoje življenje. Stari ljudje pa bodo imeli ob sebi mlajšo razumevajočo osebo, ki jim bo v pomoč in oporo.Background: Aging is a natural process that in humans triggers negative emotions such as fear, anxiety and concern, despite the fact that everything in the world is ageing, be it a thing or a living being. All these emotions in humans arise mostly because of the individual\u27s awareness that old age is the last path in life, after which it is time to say goodbye. Concern in people is caused also by the increasing proportion of the elderly that impacts the life of the society as a whole. Objective: The objective of this thesis is to present the impact of aging of the population in Slovenia and to determine how the young, active population perceives the elderly and their age. On the other hand, it is of interest how the elderly feel today and how they perceive their place in the society. Research methodology: The theoretical part of the thesis comprises of a review of the scientific literature. The research part of the thesis is based on an anonymous survey questionnaire that we prepared. The questionnaire consisted of 18 questions, ie. 7 closed type and 11 semi-open type questions. Results: The results showed that both the young and the old people predominantly still hold negative and stereotypical attitudes towards old age and aging, but there is a trend to more positive attitudes. The quality of life of the elderly also depends on the individual, own perception of old age, and also on the society’s attitude towards aging. Conclusion: For a better and happier life of both the young and the old people, it is necessary that both groups listen to each other, join together and accept each other. In this way, young people can lead an easier life using advices of experienced elderly. This will also provide old persons with someone younger and sympathetic that will help and support them