RESEARCH
Head of research: Ksenija Ramovš
Year: 2001
Type of research: kombinirana (kvantitativna in kvalitativna)
Method: Interview
Sample: 15 students (13 women, 2 men), 81 elderly (66 women, 15 men)
Short description: Analysis of the conversations with old people conducted as part of the education for personal companionship In this article the findings of author’s research study on personal companionship with lonely old people are presented. The author analysed 187 conversations conducted by young generation of volunteers working with elderly people. She reached two major conclusions. Firstly, that the companionship satisfies the needs of elderly people as well as the needs of companions. Secondly, that the quality of companionship depends mostly on social permeability of behaviour of old people in relation to other people. By using this factor, the author established the difference between vital and seemingly vital old people.
Link: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/slike/678-1.pdf
Alcohol misuse among young people (Central Population Register for the Ministry of Health, published in scientific monograph)
Head of research: Jože Ramovš
Year: 2003 - 2005
Type of research: qualitative
Method: story analysis
Sample: 100 people (15 - 25 years old)
Short description: The characteristic of the research was to use the qualitative research methods to look at the characteristics of the events, processes and dynamics of young people who drink, in their environment. It was gathered and analyzed hundred of stories of young people aged between 15 and 25 who, according to peers (interviewers), were drinking harmful drinks. The study revealed three major risk orientations that lead young people into addiction. 1. Young people underestimate or do not even perceive the harmful biochemical power of alcohol as a stinging substance ("Drinking does not hurt!"). 2. Young people have a strong behavioral pattern that drinking and drunkenness are a self-evident and compulsory part of behavior in peer companies, especially at weekends and other celebrations ("Drinking is the best!"). 3. Experience in these young people is dominated by their current well-being with fun ("Drinking is fun!").
Quality ageing and intergenerational relations in Komenda (scientific articles in Good quality of old age and popular articles in local newspaper)
Head of research: Jože Ramovš
Year: 2006
Type of research: combined (quantitative and qualitative)
Method: questionnaire
Sample: 280 people (aged 60 or more)
Short description: The article reports on the extensive research on the representative sample of the population older than 60 years in the municipality Komenda. This municipality that lies in the central part of Slovenia is well developed and has 4.500 inhabitants. In the year 2005, the Anton Trstenjak Institute of gerontology and intergenerational relations carried out a study as a first step of the implementation of the system of public programmes for quality ageing and solidarity between young, middle and third generation in the municipality for the next decades. In the introduction the author presented the intention, framework and the course of study as well as defined the third generation. The theoretical starting-point of his study is the attention on the abilities and the needs of the third generation, from the aspect of an old person in her physical, emotional, spiritual, social, developmental and residential dimension. The second point of the study and all planned programmes in the municipality is the inseparable connection between quality ageing and solidarity between young, middle and the third generation. The central part of the article brings demographical data on the studied population, especially based on age groups, educational structure and material situation. All these indexes show a positive picture, with the highest level of unused possibilities discovered during the education of the third generation. The article also gives the overview of some of the information on the capacities and the needs on the three vital areas of ageing: physical mobility, emotional freshness and social flexibility in human relations. The situation on the physical level is satisfactory. The weakest part of the sustenance and strengthening the emotional capability is the quantity of the passive TV watching. On the social sphere of maintaining and strengthening the human relations one of the good possibilities is their great preparedness for intergenerational volunteering. The article brings only a part of the basic information on this most extensive systematic study of the third generation ever done on the Slovenian municipality level.
Link: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/slike/531-1.pdf
Family carers (PhD thesis, scientific articles in Good quality of old age)
Head of research: Simona Hvalič Touzery
Year: 2006 - 2007
Type of research: combined (quantitative and qualitative)
Method: questionnaire, survey, desktop and comparative research
Sample: 218 people (family carers); 87.6 % of women. The average age is 51.9 years.
Short description: In 2005, Simona Hvalič Touzery carried out the first extensive quantitative survey on family carers of old people in Slovenia to get the information on the needs and the situation of family carers and old people. The sample size was 218 family carers. This study has shown that the willingness of family to care is much higher than many experts think. The biggest problem is not the willingness to care but rather the ability to care. Overall it was found that the motives like “emotional bonds”, “sense of duty” or “moral responsibility” are the most frequently mentioned motives for caring. Based on many data we can assume that family care will be less available due to the lack of support services to family carers and social policy measures rather than unwillingness to care. The study examined the factors that influence family care. One such factor is social policy towards old people and family carers. By reviewing the currently available services in Slovenia the conclusion was made, that there is a great lack of social and health care services. They are many times unavailable and ineffective. The services mostly used by family carers and the people they care for are visits of a district nurse − that is available to all, but limited in time − and social home help.
Link: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/slike/461-1.pdf
Age-Friendly Ljubljana (scientific monograph)
Head of research: Božidar Voljč
Year: 2008
Type of research: qualitative
Method: query groups
Sample: 63 people; 69 % of women. The average age is 74.3 years.
Short description: Age-friendly Ljubljana is a project of the Anton Trstenjak Institute of gerontology and intergenerational relations (Institute). The Institute is collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) in introducing its world programme Age-friendly Cities to Slovenia. Age-friendly city is a bottom-up programme that strives to improve the behavior patterns and social culture of city living by democratically considering the suggestions of senior citizens. The chapter regarding Ljubljana, one of the greenest, most preserved and developed European cities, introduces its crucial geographic, social and economic characteristics. The citizens’ age structure is shown together with the demographic expectations which justify all age and ageing related city activities. A special chapter describes the nature of the qualitative studies witch differ from and are incomparable to the predominant quantitative studies. The nature and number of meetings are shown together with the number of participants. The latter is comparable to or even slightly exceeds the number of participants in the WHO study. In 2007 WHO published a handbook for the implementation of the Age-friendly Cities programme. In 2008 with WHO’s agreement the Institute started the actualization of the programme and the research on the lives of the elder Ljubljana citizens. Methodologically, the qualitative study completely followed the WHO Vancouver Protocol. Field work commenced in 2008 and was finished by the end of 2009. Data analysis was completed in 2010 and culminated in a monograph that confronts WHO’s recommendations with the suggestions and comments of Ljubljana’s citizens in regard to various domains of city living. In accordance with the Protocol, these concern 8 topics: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, respect and social inclusion, social participation, communication and information, civic participation and employment, community support and health services.
Link: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/izdelki/78.pdf
Protective factors of youth drinking (Central Population Register for the Ministry of Health, the results presented in the report, at congress in Slovenia and abroad)
Head of research: Jože Ramovš
Year: 2008 - 2010
Type of research: qualitative
Method: survey
Sample: 389 people; 64 % of women. Average age of 30 years (9 - 87 years)
Short description: There were three secondary purposes of the research, besides the main purpose to review the facts about the protective factors for alcohol abuse: 1. to explore the young persons, that are living a quality life in Slovene society and are not abusing alcohol; 2. to explore the micro-social environment of those young persons and to find the protective factors for alcohol abuse in their families and among their group of friends; 3. to find the acts of the law, that are used to prevent alcohol abuse among young persons and also to find some effective prevention programs in that matter. The main research method was the quality analyses of 200 interviews of young males and females. aged 15 to 28. Persons for the interviews were selected with recommendation of their colleges, that recommended the persons they find to be living a quality life without alcohol and drug abuse. We quantitatively analyzed the demographic characteristics of the described young people and described the protective factors in their personality, family, peer companies and elsewhere. Fifteen typical cases were selected from the entire youth population and analyzed in depth. In parallel, we reviewed some preventive programs for protecting young people from alcohol abuse.
Communication between generations (scientific article in Good quality of old age)
Head of research: Jože Ramovš
Year: 2008 - 2010
Type of research: combined (quantitative and qualitative)
Method: story analysis
Sample: 200 people; 62.5 % of women. Average age 23 years (15 - 28 years)
Short description: The article presents an analysis of the time the participants spend in socializing and kind conversation with members of three generations in the average week. The generations are defined as young people (< 25), adults (25–60) and elderly (> 60). The results show that intergenerational interaction and communication between young and old generation is among the weakest; more than 10 % of the participants do not engage in such interaction. These results are consistent with complementary Slovenian and international research findings. The demographic conditions of rapid ageing of the population and the need for strengthening intergenerational solidarity put us in a position where everyone — individuals, civil society and state policies — needs to consciously build the conditions for successful learning of high quality intergenerational dialogue.
Link: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/slike/868-1.pdf
The needs, attitudes and abilities of people aged 50 and over – large national representative survey, which data are comparable to European and global research in this area (scientific articles in Good quality of old age, paper presentations at international congresses)
Head of research: Jože Ramovš and Božidar Voljč
Year: 2010 - 2011
Type of research: combined (quantitative and qualitative)
Method: A complex questionnaire The standpoints, needs and potencials of Slovenian population aged 50+ was administered as a personal in-home survey with a specially trained interviewer. It contained both quantitative and qualitative questions on a wide selection of topics among them happiness, satisfaction, achievement of life purpose, health and the experience of negative emotions.
Sample: We interviewed a total of 1047 participants in a representative sample of Slovenians aged 50+. 41,3 % of them were men and 58,7 % women. The average age of the participants was 66,9 years. The youngest participant was 50,3 and the oldest 98.2 years old.
Short description: Operational definition of terms needs, potentials and standpoints shows that obtaining authentic information in these three areas responds to the needs of health, social and other professions who work with elderly people, but also to the needs of policy makers in responding to the challenge of an aging society. Overview of the scientific and political interest in old age, aging and intergenerational relations shows that it escalates rapidly after the year 2000. The basis of the research is a holistic anthropological image of man in his physical, mental, spiritual, social and developmental dimensions, which calls for an interdisciplinary and inter sector approach. The extensive questionnaire covers health status, medication, health, experience and attitudes towards the health system, walking and moving ability and performance of everyday tasks, residence and its adaptation for old age, relations with close others and care in frailty, mental well-being, spiritual and existential standpoints, ageing, the transfer of life experiences, intergenerational relationships and solidarity, living in home town and relocation, culture and language, information and communications technology, profession, employment, work, use of own abilities, retirement and wealth, children and grandchildren, and a comprehensive set of demographic questions. With a personal in-home interview we have successfully reached 1047 of the 1800 people in the planned sample. The survey was designed in a way that makes the research results comparable with major international research in this area.
SoGrap – EU international pilot action research project to design a model for the potential of the social gradient in management of chronic high blood pressure in old age (report for the EU Commission)
Head of research: Božidar Voljč
Year: 2010 - 2012
Type of research: qualitative
Method: survey
Sample: survey Risk factors for non-communicable diseases in adult population of Slovenia: 1280 people; (65-74 years). 55.6 % of women. Survey Health and health care: 393 people (65-95 years). 59.5 % of women.
Short description: The SoGraP research was socially oriented self -management programme between 2010 to 2012 on reducing health inequalities in elderly chronic patients of different educational level. The research showed that in societies with national and compulsory health insurance social gradient in health is not as wide as in societies with no national insurance and predominantly private health care. Socially oriented chronic disease self - management programmes in patients of different educational level with chronic conditions present an effective way for the reduction of health and social differences among them. The research confirmed the outcomes of other similar programmes, that knowledge and understanding of chronic condition can be improved among elderly patients, who are also able to adopt new habits. Therefore such activities should be in interest of health politics as well.
Healthy ageing and quality coexistence - the attitudes, needs and abilities of the adult population in the municipality of Ivančna Gorica (scientific article in Good quality of old age)
Head of research: Jože Ramovš
Year: 2012
Type of research: combined (quantitative and qualitative)
Method: personal survey, questionnaire
Sample: 1028 people; (18 - 85+ years); 50.58 % of women.
Short description: This article is the first comprehensive presentation of representative field survey Healthy aging and good relations - the standpoints, needs and potentials of the adult population in municipality of Ivančna Gorica. Substantive areas of research are physical, mental and social health, satisfaction with different services in this area, walking and other mobility, carrying out everyday tasks, adaptation of housing for old age and disease, coexistence with nearby, caring for disabled, sick and elderly persons, aging, intergenerational harmony and solidarity, living in the city, the cultural and educational pursuits, use of information and communication technology, work, employment, retirement, wealth and its use, children, grandchildren and parents, coexistence, singleton people and a comprehensive set of demographic questions. The specific of the survey is very successful implementation of the survey by the volunteers, who were local people from pensioners and other civil society organizations. They were properly trained and professionally led by research contractor of Anton Trstenjak Institute of gerontology and intergenerational relations. This article presents the basis, content, methodology and implementation of the research and an analysis of the investigated sample by age and sex structure, marital status, employment status etc... From the ideal representative sample of 1500 inhabitants of the municipality (which is 12 % of the total population aged 18+) 68.53 % were successfully covered by survey. Studied sample is demographically well-matched with age, sex and other relationships in the overall population. The article also highlights the studied population with large qualitative analysis of interview records that are written by the volunteers about the progress and circumstances of the implementation of the survey and about their experiences, observations, insights and thoughts on the interview. This study was prepared in such a way that its results are comparable with the related Slovenian national and international researches in this field.
Link: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/slike/1456-1.pdf
Prevention of violence against the elderly (scientific article in Good quality of old age)
Head of research: Ana Gorenc Vujović, Veronika Mravljak Andoljšek, Tjaša Mlakar
Year: 2016
Type of research: combined (quantitative and qualitative)
Method: questionnaire
Sample: 100 people; (18 - 85+ years); 88 % of women.
Short description: Violence against the elderly is a widespread and serious problem. It represents an obstacle to quality aging and encourages younger generation to increase their tolerance of violence. One in ten older people is experiencing violence every month. Types of violence against the elderly are: physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, financial violence and neglect. The causes of violence are complex and occur at different levels. Risk factors have a major impact on the occurrence of violence; such as victims’ poor health status, poor mental and emotional health, low income, gender, age, financial dependence etc. Violence against the elderly is often caused by partners and family carers, and frequently also by health and other professionals who are taking care of elderly at their home or in institutions. The prevention of violence is divided into primary and secondary prevention. Primary prevention includes the strengthening of the communities, the role of cultural norms, the reduction of income inequalities, the improvement of criminal justice and social welfare systems, etc. Secondary prevention includes the relief of family carers, different programs for financial management, helplines, the development of special emergency accommodation for elderly victims of violence, multidisciplinary teams and others. In Slovenia there are several organizations helping victims of violence. Anton Trstenjak Institute has developed several good practices for the prevention of violence against the elderly. The Institute participated in the Daphne project and conducted a representative survey on violence against the elderly which showed that around 60.000 elderly people suffered violence in Slovenia. In the last two years we have been carrying out the innovative national program for prevention of violence against the elderly. However, good practices in preventing violence should also be transferred to other environments.
Link: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/slike/1616-1.pdf
Research about job opportunities for senior insurance agents
Head of research: Jože Ramovš
Year: 2016
Type of research: qualitative
Method: query groups (F-cam approach)
Sample: 23 people; 8.7 % of women.
Short description: The research study contains in the first part an overview of relevant studies about the aging of employees, intergenerational cooperation at work, and the adaptation of organizations to the aging of employees. In the second part, it summarizes the applied method of qualitative research of focus groups and results of targeted research discussions in them. The results are grouped into eleven content sections: 1. intergenerational cooperation in the company, 2. enable individualization of work goals and processes, 3. adjust personal income, 4. redistribute and change jobs, 5. introduce technological updates into a more rational, systematic and effective way, 6. simplify administrative requirements, 7. provide timely and effective transfer of knowledge to younger employees, 8. education and support for older workers, 9. prevention of burnout of older workers, 10. improvement of working conditions and processes, 11. Properly motivate and reward employees (not only financially). In conclusion, research summarizes five strategic challenges to address the development task of aging insurance agents.
Moderate and excessive alcohol consumption in elderly people
Head of research: Ksenija Ramovš
Year: 2016
Type of research: qualitative
Method: query groups (F-cam approach)
Sample: moderate drinkers: 100 people; 63 % of women; average age is 69.6 years. Excess drinkers: 100 people; 14 % of women; average age 66.5 years.
Short description: Within the survey the qualitative methodology has been used. Students of social work have written life stories and performed personal interviews with 100 people aged 60 years and over, whom they known well and considered them alcoholics, and 100 of interviews with older people, who drunk alcohol in moderate way. Within the study, presented by this article, the lifestyle characteristics of addicted people and the views of students to their drinking were identified. Each student explicitly described the criteria for inclusion of elderly interviewee into the category of moderate and excessive drinkers; analysis of these criteria shows that students judged drinking patterns of elderly people according to the criteria of the profession; however, when judging drinking patterns of young people, they were much more tolerant. Qualitative data analysis of life stories confirm that more man than woman drink excessively and among them more single elderly people. Among excessive male drinkers are more frequently those who live alone, those who are early retired or retired due to a disability, and those who were getting drunk in the early years. The analysis also shows that risk factors for alcohol abuse in older age are also retirement, widowhood and drinking home made alcohol beverages. Excessive drinkers come both from families with a history of alcoholism and from non-drinking families. Among the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption in elderly stood out: disturbances in relationships, impaired ability to take a meaningful decision, one-sided weakness or social support, visible physical changes in older alcoholics. When students compared the stories of moderate and excessive drinkers few issues stood out: the indication of the benefits of moderate drinking, the question of experiencing happiness in old age and the importance of in-depth encounter with elderly alcoholics. An important research finding is that in older excessive drinkers the sense of their life needs and abilities slowly fades away.
Link: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/slike/1578-1.pdf
Falls in old age
Head of research: Jože Ramovš
Year: from 2008 onwards (in progress)
Type of research: quantitative
Method: survey
Sample: 1000+ people
Short description: Among injuries falls represent the most serious threat for elderly people and as age increases so does the possibility of falls. Although frequently without serious consequences, they are the most common cause of fractures, surgical interventions and hospitalizations. Most of them occur in domestic environment and are there accompanied with the highest mortality. In old age each fall is a result of interrelations between ageing, illnesses and external causes. The consequences can be an impaired health, a reduced independence and a weaker self‑confidence.