VOLUME 11, NUMBER 4, 2008

Conservative management of urinary incontinence in the elderly
Darija Šćepanović

Urinary incontinence is any involuntary loss of urine, which appears in all age groups and affects women as well as men. It is linked with high personal distress, shame and social stigmatization. The prevalence of urinary incontinence does increase with age; however, ageing by itself does not cause urinary incontinence. The article describes the most common forms and the etiology of urinary incontinence in the elderly. The importance of the recognition of comorbid medical illnesses that may affect the mechanism of continence is emphasized. Based on scientific evidence from literature, recommendations for the conservative management of urinary incontinence in the elderly, with an emphasis on physiotherapy management, are given, and the particularities of this treatment in frail elderly people are presented.

Key words: urinary incontinence, conservative management, physiotherapy management, elderly.

Rights and situation regarding health and social services for the elderly in Slovenia
Meta Mencej

In this article legal grounds for performing health and social services at patients home in Slovenia are presented, as well as promises made by the Governments Strategy of care for the elderly till 2010 in that field. In the absence of a complete analysis of health services at elderly people′s homes, only the results from an analysis of social aid at home, as it was performed in Slovenia in 2006 and in the first half of 2007 within public services, are presented. Private caregivers without a concession were not the part of this analysis. The activities including household, personal hygiene, and help with social contacts were performed in the first half of 2007 in most Slovenian communes with the exception of 13/210. Average monthly number of beneficiaries involved was 5.595 (1.3% of persons 65 years of age and older, while 3% inclusion of that population had been planned till 2010), and the services were performed by 743 social caregivers. For the consumer, the average service-price which is legally required to be at least 50% supplied by the commune (in spite of that some communes shared less) was 4.3 EUR per hour.

Key words: elderly people, home care, social aid at home, caregivers, service-price.

Are family rituals the glue binding one generation to another?
Christoph Morgenthaler

Rituals are not a luxury. They strengthen connections between the generations as well as strengthen the identity of each individual family member. On these occasions, cultural values and experiences are passed from one generation to another. They establish bridges with social life. Rituals also create opportunities for families to acquire religious experiences and pass them on to one another. The Institute for Practical Theology in Bern has confirmed this be means of an empirical research based on Christmas, baptism and evening rituals. Two surveys which followed included questions about social inclusions and the well-being of parents and children at these rituals. This leads us to knowledge which helps parents and families alike: pleasant family rituals, which focus on generational connections and the development of each individual, should be more appreciated, supported and developed.

Key words: family rituals, evening rituals, Christmas, baptism, generational connections.

Medicine and the Elderly
Nada Irgolič

The rapidly increasing percentage of the elderly population requires a change in the way we think and act when prescribing and using medicine. In order to assure quality health care of the elderly, collaboration among specialists in various fields is necessary, especially the flow of up-to-date and detailed information to doctors and pharmacists concerning new findings about drugs which are available in the national data base of drugs (DBD). The increasing number of the elderly and new biological drugs – a result of progress in the field of modern biotechnology – have caused a rapid increase in the cost of health care, which in turn is a significant factor when choosing the method of treatment with medicinal products. The article points out that the elderly are a vulnerable group of individuals to whom we must devote more attention and concern in connection with drugs.

Key words: interaction of drugs, incorrect usage of drugs, biological drugs, impartial accessibility, the elderly and medicine.