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Opportunities and Specifics Underlying Day Care for Older Adults

By majorjudit
Opportunities and Specifics Underlying Day Care for Older Adults in Hungary 
with Consideration of Active Ageing
Kinga VAJDA Contact / Kontakt / Kapcsolat
EJMH Vol 15 Issue 1 (2020) 38-55; https://doi.org/10.5708/EJMH.15.2020.1.3
Received: 11 August 2019; accepted: 1 March 2020; online date: 15 June 2020
Section: Research Papers
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Abstract

In the past few decades, ageing has become a serious global issue. The concept of active aging
and its incorporation into different type of social services (e.g. day care for elderly people) is one
of the possible solutions. The main goal of this research was to evaluate the status of clients in
Hungarian day care institutions. Another important goal is to explore which domains of the concept
of active and independent ageing were already considered and applied in Hungarian day care
service and where they should be strengthened. The questionnaire was based on the Active Ageing
Index questionnaire (ZAIDI et al. 2013). 14% of the observed sample was 64 years old or
younger, 38% was 65–74 years old, 36% was 75–84 years old, 12% was 85 years old or older.
Most of the participants (74%) were women. More than half of the sample were widowed. One
third of the sample received some kind of ICT (Information and Communication Technology)
device. There was a strong connection between the frequency of ICT usage and education variables.
Accessibility, which was also a facilitator of active and independent ageing, came up only
in 25% of the sample. Mental well-being – as a new variable – was analyzed with principle component
analysis from five former variables with the highest rate in the Central Hungarian region.
Satisfying physical security was reported by only 56% of the sample, more often among men (p
= 0.03). Reinforcing the preventive aspect of the service, propagating it amongst freshly retired
people, and including not only widows, but other potential clients as well could be the key points
of service development. To intensify the potential points in the service connected to active ageing
(accessibility, volunteering in late-life, use of ICT devices etc.) could be a key factor in the
improvement of day care services..

Keywords

demographic change, ageing, community based social services, active ageing, day care for elderly people

Corresponding author

 

Kinga VAJDA
Semmelweis Egyetem
Rácz Károly Doktori Iskola
Mentális Egészségtudományok Doktori Iskola
H-1428 Budapest, Pf. 2.,
Hungary
kinga.vajda88@gmail.com