Quality of life of elderly people in the city of Zagreb: civil society's contributions and challenges

• In Event: Innovative Citizen and Volunteer Support Systems

Abstract

The process of demographic aging is one of the main challenges not only in Europe but also in the world. Croatian society belongs to the group of countries with the highest proportion of elderly people in the population. (Puljiz, 2016). Elderly people are in multiple vulnerable positions, which significantly affects their quality of life. Population aging is an important issue for social policies as care for the elderly becomes more and more relevant.
Elderly people in the perspective of the Croatian welfare state are mostly viewed through the aspects of benefits or social services (Šućur, 2019), while the quality of life is rarely discussed. In addition to the welfare state (Dobrotić, 2016) and according to the principles of the welfare mix, civil society organizations also play an important role in enhancing the quality of life of the elderly in Croatia (Bežovan, 2019, Matančević, 2014). However, their role and potential contribution to the quality of life of the elderly people is under-researched in the Croatian context.
Therefore, the goal of this paper is to explore the contribution of civil society organizations to the quality of life of the elderly and the challenges they face in working with them in the city of Zagreb.
Qualitative research was conducted, using the method of interviews with key informants, from ten associations in the city of Zagreb that operate in the field of elderly people. Through the framework analysis (Ritchie & Spencer, 1994), six topics were determined, five of which related to the dimensions of the quality of life of the elderly (standard of living, health, functionality, social inclusion, and personal well-being), and the last one to the challenges of organizations in working with the elderly. Categories and codes are presented in the paper.
The research showed that associations through their programs and activities in various aspects contribute to the quality of life and have benefits for the elderly. In this regard, civil society can also be recognized as a stakeholder in the welfare mix. Although the city of Zagreb recognizes the potential of civil society, certain challenges such as financial and spatial limitations, human resource limitations, and bureaucracy indicate the need to strengthen and support civil society so that it can use its demonstrated potential for the advancement of the quality of life of the elderly population.

References

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Authors

• Danijel Baturina, Study Centre of Social Work

• Karla Puškadija, Study centre for social work, Faculty of Law, Univeristy of Zagreb