VOLUME 10, NUMBER 3, 2007

“Here we are! Acknowledge us! Help us!” – The study on the family care of dependent old family members
Hvalič Touzery Simona

This article gathers information on family care and family carers in Slovenia. It presents the results of the first extensive study on family carers of elderly in Slovenia. Another important part of this article is the analysis of the Slovenian social policy and the review of the socio-demographical changes. This author discusses potential danger that a family care will be more difficult to reach in the future due to many factors such as demographic changes, social policy measures, and characteristics of family carers.

Key words: family care of elderly, family carers, elderly, social politics, family roles, demographic changes, Slovenia, EU

The need for care and caring for the third generation in the municipality Komenda
Jože Ramovš

The introduction contains the linguistic and substantive premises on which the author builds its research and discussion on disability and caring for disabled old people. That is the six dimensional anthropology, which takes into account one’s physical, emotional, spiritual, social, developmental and existential needs and abilities and also the need for care in all mentioned dimensions, when they are damaged or disabled. The basic motivation for caring is solidarity. The fundamental anthropological knowledge on solidarity says that the main conditions for good quality of life and good relations between carer and cared for are help, care and nursing. Empirical part of the article gives the data on the care needs of the population 60+ in municipality Komenda. These data are a part of the extensive study Quality ageing and good intergenerational relations in municipality Komenda that was carried out in 2005 by Anton Trstenjak Institute. The analysis contains data on medical (in)dependency, on the possibilities of the family network with regards to the care for disabled family member, on the needs for institutional care and community care programmes and numerous other data that indirectly give the information on the care needs. One of the main results is that one third of the population – currently older than 60 years – needs some type of care, and around 10% are very dependent and therefore need a lot of care and nursing. The important factor for quality ageing is the family social network that is efficient in the studied population. In the future, this family network will need a support, replacement and supplement from a public network of different programmes when filling in material needs. While the social network of friends and volunteers are effectively complementing it when filling in the needs arising with psychological, spiritual and social disability.

Key words: old people, disability, care, anthropology, Komenda, intergenerational solidarity

The demographic image of Slovenia - yesterday, today, tomorrow
Aleksander Jakoš

Fertility decrease is the strongest in Europe and in Slovenia is among the demographically most endangered countries. At the end of the last century Slovenia fell under the demographic threshold, meaning that the annual number of deaths exceeded the number of births. Consequences of this demographic change are shown through demographic projections that can also trigger delicate issues of nation, language and culture on the territory of Slovenia. The number of Slovenes is decreasing, but the Slovenian geographical (and economic) conditions is too good to leave the territory unpopulated. Fertility decrease and prolongation of life expectancy are also transforming the share between the active and non-active population. A special chapter deals with the rather unsuccessful Slovenian demographic policy, which is not one, or is miss-oriented. The conclusion brings some reflections about the role of elderly people in the modern world, which is rather unkind to them.

Key words: demography, Slovenia, fertility, population ageing, population projections