The intergenerational relationships between the generation of young people and the generation of the elderly constitute the topic of this thesis. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the specifics of generations of young and old people, demographic trends and aspects that have been occuring with an increasing number of seniors. Misunderstanding and intergenerational conflicts belong among the negative consequences of an aging society. In order to prevent intergenerational conflicts, it is necessary to create conditions so that the members of different generations can get to know each other better and comprehend the lifestyle of a different generation. Due to the transformation of the contemporary family - with grandchildren not having an opportunity to be with their grandparents in close contact as much as it used to be in the past - it is necessary to look for new ways to interconnect the worlds of young and old people. A volunteer project focused on an informal intergenerational learning is one of the options. Regarding the empirical part of the paper, it aims to determine whether the implementation of a volunteer project - that involves students as volunteers and seniors as clients of a home for the elderly - may contribute to the intergenerational rapprochement, whether common...

The possibilities of increasing physical activity among seniors ? clients Hospitals Volyně is a name of the master thesis, which is in theoretical part focused on the issue of aging. Furthermore, it is focused on physical activities of elderly people and further describes recommendations of physical activities specified for this age group. Part of the theoretical segment is also description of the medical institution Hospital Volyně. In practical part hypothesis and aims of the thesis are stated. Part of the research is interventional physical program, which connects elements of Pilates and exercises by Niši. System of those exercises is applied on a group of seven women aged from 70 till 75 years. The monitored parameters are physical functions. The Senior fitness test was used for the measurements and the data was statistically processed using the Parallel t-test. Although there was no significant difference, the research had a great impact on the clients Hospitals Volyně.

This Diploma thesis is focused on the social group of seniors and deals with issues of activation programs, intergenerational contact and management of volunteers at the Center of activation programs (CAP) at Prague 8. The theoretical part provides the theoretical and methodological thesis on the definition and definitions related to the senior age, intergenerational relations description and presentation of the functioning of social services in the Czech Republic with an emphasis on activation services for seniors. In the following chapters the theoretical part is examined in detail and the issue of volunteerism is discussed as well as the possibility of activation of seniors. The practical part presents concrete proposals for new programs for seniors organized by the CAP including a detailed description of their implementation and operational solutions. Second part of the practical section is devoted to a proposal to streamline the management of volunteers at the CAP. Conclusion evaluates the proposed solutions and their contribution to the CAP and especially for their clients, which are active seniors from Prague 8.

The thesis called 'Individual planning and its effect on activation in retirement homes' is divided into theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part discusses the old age and the changes and problems that can accompany it. Further it deals with senior people's needs and the basic principles of communication with elderly people. The second chapter focuses on retirement homes as a social service. The third chapter describes the importance and the process of individual planning. The last chapter of the theoretical part contains information about activating people in retirement homes, its possibilities and importance. The practical part shows the use of individual plans and biographical sheets of retirement homes' clients in practice. It contains case histories of senior citizens and examples of documentation. The aim of the work is to link the theory with practical findings, to describe the importance of individual planning and its connection to all the elements of care, and to describe the positive effects of activation and individual approach in working with elderly people. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

The diploma thesis Perception of a Retirement Home before and after Client's Admission deals with elderly people's decision to go to a retirement home and their subsequent life in a retirement home. The diploma thesis is divided into two parts theoretical and empirical. The theoretical part focuses on aging and old age, quality of life, autonomy, modern families and elderly care at home as well as in institutions. The chapter Aging, Old Age and the Elderly explains the terms "aging" and "old age". Next, it also describes the changes that occur during old age, how the elderly manage to adapt to these changes and what is their attitude toward old age. From the nursing perspective, the senior citizens can be divided into following categories: able, fragile, dependent, completely dependent and dying. According to this division, the level of care for the elderly can be determined. However, it is vital to maintain acceptable life quality among the elderly as well as respect their real needs. Not only basic physiological needs have to be satisfied, but also higher-level needs cannot be overlooked, such as safety, security, love, acceptance, belonging, respect, recognition and personal fulfillment. One of the next main aspects that also should be taken into account is personal autonomy. Personal autonomy includes independence and freedom. It is self-sufficiency of an individual related to his or her possibilities, abilities and willingness to seize the choices and opportunities that life offers. People have the right to make independent decisions and establish or carry out them in their social environment. In general, people are considered to be autonomous individuals when they manage and organize their own activities without help of anyone else, are able to satisfy their physiological needs, stand up for their opinions and do not enforce approval, closeness and emotional support. They should not excessively fear other people or even feel guilty. If elderly people are no longer self-sufficient due to any reason, it is necessary to provide them with comprehensive care. Elderly people should be entitled to choose their preferred form of care. Elderly care can be provided in clients' private environment, by their family or by field social work. If the elderly do not have a family or it is not possible to take care of them in their home, a housing facility called a retirement home can be used. A retirement home helps its clients with following: accommodation, meals, assistance with daily self-care tasks, personal hygiene or arrangement for personal hygiene, maintaining contacts with social environment, activating tasks and enforcing rights and interests (for instance assistance in dealing with authorities, communicating with various companies, etc.). The aim of the empirical part of the thesis was to determine how the elderly perceive the retirement home before their admission and after adaptation. A secondary aim was to identify the views of family members on changes in the behavior of the elderly after their placement in a retirement home. With regard to the objectives of the thesis, a qualitative research method has been chosen which allows to examine the area in depth. The research was conducted by a survey method (a semi-structured interview). The research was conducted in two retirement homes in South Bohemia. The research group consisted of 10 respondents aged from 60 to 88 years. The target group was selected by quota sampling. The respondents consisted of clients without loss of cognitive abilities placed in a retirement home who could remember their idea about the retirement home before entering it. Another target group were family members of the individual interviewed clients. The diploma thesis states questions related to the research areas.

The diploma thesis is structured into a theoretical part and an empirical part. The theoretical part consists of four chapters. The empirical part of the diploma thesis is based on qualitative research. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews with the senior citizens and the nurses. The replies were processed into clearly arranged charts and categories with brief descriptions. Another research method applied was observation. The interviews were followed by a detailed analysis of the documentation, which involved the analysis of the medical records of the senior citizens with a focus on medical diagnosis, chronic medication, and processing of the fall risk and its evaluation. The diploma thesis pursued three objectives by means of four related research questions. The first objective was to ascertain the extent of the clients' awareness of fall risks. The second objective was to assess the discomfort associated with usage of the special device preventing hip joint injuries resulting from falls during common everyday activities of the senior citizens. Finally, the third objective was to obtain the opinions of the healthcare staff on working with clients wearing special devices preventing the hip joint injuries. Four research questions were formulated in connection with these three objectives. Research question No. 1: What is the quality of information provided by the healthcare staff as part of the preventive intervention regarding the falls? Research question No. 2: How willing are the clients to accept changes contributing to fall prevention? Research question No. 3: To what extent is the comfort of the client affected by using special devices preventing fall-related hip joint injuries? Research question No. 4: To what extent is the work of the healthcare staff affected if their clients use devices preventing fall-related hip joint injuries? The results of the qualitative research suggest that the extent of information provided by the healthcare staff as part of the preventive intervention regarding the falls is insufficient in terms of awareness of the risky places. In particular, the research revealed that the nurses fail to sufficiently monitor the effects of chronic medication which may contribute to psycho-motor inhibition of the senior clients. As far as mobility aids are concerned, the nurses offer these devices sufficiently. The nurses demonstrated very good knowledge of all the mobility aids which may facilitate self-reliance of the senior clients. Another problematic issue is the safety of the rooms, particularly in terms of various protrusions and unevenness in the bathrooms. The results of the research do not show any unwillingness of the clients to accept changes contributing to fall prevention. Nevertheless, two of the respondents failed to engage in the activities and maintain physical fitness by regular exercise in the Retirement House. Furthermore, the results do not show any limitation of the clients' comfort resulting from using special devices preventing fall-related hip joint injuries. Finally, according to the research the healthcare staff does not feel restricted in any way when working with senior clients using such device. The results of the research will be used for repeated meetings with the senior clients and particularly with the nurses. The management of the Retirement House, together with the healthcare staff, are working on a new educational material which would indicate risky places with increased probability of falls. These results could be beneficial also for other facilities where healthcare staff takes care of senior citizens. Last but not least, the results are of interest also to the health insurance companies which could provide this special device with at least partial subsidy as part of the primary prevention programme.

The topic of old age and ageing is wide-ranging. The position of senior citizens within a society and the solution of the questions connected with the consequences of their growing age represents an integral part of the natural life cycle. Apart from their material security the quality range of senior citizens{\crq} life is made up of their state of health, accessibility of both public and private health, social and other services, marital status, the quality of housing, the chance of further education and developing social contacts. The quality of life is a very subjective and individual phenomenon. It involves different impulses for various people in different periods. There is a general tendency towards rising demands on the quality of life within the population and it the same with the oncoming generation of senior citizens. It is always necessary to ask oneself a question whether the quality of senior citizens{\crq} lives in institutional facilities is on an appropriate level and which are the factors influencing the quality of their lives. Evaluating the quality of life can be also looked upon as a subjective individual{\crq}s view of the individual aspects of his life. However, it is highly important that the living environment meets and satisfies the senior citizens{\crq} corporal, psychic, social and spiritual needs. This diploma thesis represents a continuation of the bachelor{\crq}s thesis: The quality of senior citizens{\crq} life in institutional facilities. The basic aim is to compare the quality of senior citizens{\crq} life in the institutional facility {--} the Old People{\crq}s Home of Kůsov within a period of two years. I have chosen the topic of the thesis because I have been working in an institutional facility for more than 21 years, and the quality of senior citizens{\crq} life has made me think about this problem more thoroughly. The diploma thesis includes the present state of affairs of the problems in question, the specification of hypotheses, methodology, the results of the research, discussion, conclusion, the list of the sources, key words and supplements. The description of the present state of affairs comprises the characteristic features of the senior citizens{\crq} population, senior citizens{\crq} state of health, their self-sufficiency and activities. Another concept is the quality of life. Provided that we combine the word quality with that of life, we will face the fact that various people can have and usually do have different ideas about what in fact comprises the meaning of their life, what makes their life of high quality. The quality of life is looked upon as a multi-dimensional quantity and is usually defined as a ``subjective appraisal of one{\crq}s own conditions of life{\crqq}. Further on there are institutional facilities and the new Social Care Act No. 108/2006 digest mentioned in this part. There have two hypotheses been specified in this thesis, which have been confirmed by the research. The original research sample of the year 2004 included 100 respondents: 40 men and 60 women. Within the period of two years 22 respondents died, 8 men and 14 women. These respondents were taken away from the total sample and, as a result, a new representative sample has come into being comprising 78 respondents, 32 men ans 46 women. The research was carried out by means of the method of a controlled dialogue, using a questionnaire for the users of the old people{\crq}s home, the standardized SEIQoL questionnaire and an ADL test. The results were compiled in tabular and chart form, and subsequently processed by means of the STATISTICA statistical programme. The discussion includes a summary of the research knowledge in comparison with the sources used. The conclusion comprises a summary of the complete research part. We can conclude that nowadays the quality of life in an institutional facility can reach a high level.

The thesis deals with various issues related to the allotment of elderly people care allowance. The introduction describes the current state of social policy and services; basic concepts used in this field were defined. The concept of old age and its epiphenomena were briefly and expertly characterized. The main part of the thesis is devoted to ways of obtaining, processing, allotment and functioning of the allowance for the care of elderly people in the region of Milevsko. Given the specifics of the individual Czech regions, it was necessary to describe generally the Milevsko region and to characterize the Department of Social Affairs at the Milevsko Municipal Authority, which pursuant to Czech legislation, carries out all activities associated with the agenda of the allowance for care in the defined region. The objective of the thesis was to map in detail the issues of the allowance care at various stages, i.e. from filing an application till its execution and to describe partly the subsequent use of the allowance. The details of the early stages of processing applications are described, i.e. where there are still many problematic issues. During my work on the problem, I cooperated closely with the staff at the Milevsko Municipal Authority, competent staff at the Department of Social Affairs and a selected sample of senior citizens in the locality. To achieve the set objective, I used the strategy of qualitative research, the method of interviewing and the technique of semi-controlled non-standard interviews of selected clients ? senior citizens ? with the staff of the Department of Social Affairs. The analysis of social and medical records of the client group, along with legislation for the care allowance, was used as an additional method. The outputs of the used techniques were recorded in detail and summarized using tables. The research results yielded many interesting findings; in particular it is still a relatively low general public awareness of the care allowance and it was demonstrated that the most important source of information for senior applicants was a social worker. What needs to be constantly improving is the awareness of senior citizens and their family members of what types of care and compensating aids or activities can be covered by care allowance. It is also necessary to explain to senior citizens and their families how to use the care allowance, such as checks by social workers. According to the findings, I can confirm that the care allowance is a very important factor that helps significantly to offset the dependence of senior citizens, although its amount is questionable. Another finding was seen in an irreplaceable role of the family, family members who provide the care of the elderly and the efforts of all who are involved in ensuring senior citizens can function in their natural environment, which I think is an extremely positive finding. In any case, ?horror? scenarios of abusing the care allowance were not confirmed, which confirms the fact that the control mechanisms in the legislation are relatively well adjusted. Improvements, according to the conclusions of my thesis, must be included in the inquiry stage of processing the care allowance; there is a need to combine general social methods with an extremely sensitive and personal approach to individual applicants in order to achieve optimal use of the care allowance for individuals who could stay in their natural environment as long as possible. Another area of potential development can be seen particularly in the interaction between the actors involved in the process of allotment of the care allowance, e.g. through automated processing of the agenda using electronic forms.

Den demografiska utvecklingen i Sverige går mot en befolkningssammansättning med allt högre medelålder. Prognosen tyder på att nästan var fjärde svensk år 2025 kommer vara 65 år eller äldre. Många av dessa individer har en aktiv, frisk och relativt lång ålderdom framför sig. Studier har visat att morgondagens seniorer är en relativt välbeställd grupp med höga krav och stora förväntningar på ålderdomen och det framtida boendet. Allt detta innebär en utmaning för samhället där nödvändiga prioriteringar kan leda till att individen måste ta ett större ansvar och eget initiativ för boende och omvårdnadstjänster gentemot tidigare. I avhandlingen (”studien”) har seniorboendekonceptet med integrerade service-, vård- och omsorgstjänster studerats särskilt. Seniorboenden är ett marknadssegment med kraftig tillväxt under 2000-talet. Antalet seniorbostäder i Sverige har ökat från ca 10 000 år 2000 till ca 28 000 år 2007. Det som karaktäriserar konceptet är att boendet och de anslutande tjänsterna har anpassats och särskilt utformats för ett liv i åldrande. Studien rapporteras i form av en monografi bestående av två olika delstudier. Forskningsfrågan som varit vägledande för den första delstudien är ”Vad skapar en stark marknadsposition för en aktör på seniorbostadsmarknaden med integrerad service, vård och omsorg?”. Forskningsfrågan i den andra delstudien är ”Vilka produktionsstrategier och styrsystem går att identifiera hos några av de mest framgångsrika konceptbyggarna?”. Den andra delstudien utgår från den första delstudiens resultat. Forskningen, som har bedrivits som en explorativ fältstudie, har pågått under perioden 2002-2008. Mätinstrumentet har bestått av fasta intervjufrågor med öppna svarsalternativ. De underliggande intervjuerna har tillsammans med sekundärdata presenterats i ett antal fallbeskrivningar. I studien har ett antal framgångsrika, såväl svenska som nordamerikanska, aktörer medverkat. Den första delstudien har analyserats utifrån en föreställningsram som byggts upp kring begreppen omgivning, strategi, resurs, tjänstekoncept och konkurrenskraft. Resultaten har formulerats i ett antal strategiska vägval vilka sammanfattats i begreppen differentiering, fokus, integration, samverkan, kontroll, verksamhetsutveckling, kärnkompetens och resurser. Det har kunnat påvisas att framgångsrika aktörer följer den differentieringsstrategi om Porter (1980) definierat. Vidare har en affärsstrategisk typologi över aktörer på seniorboendemarknaden formulerats. Den första delstudiens slutsatser har formulerats i fyra strategiska idealtyper: förvaltare, konceptbyggare, entreprenörer och idealister. Utgångspunkten i den andra delstudien, som bl.a. hämtats i Nilssons och Rapps (2005) teoretiska ramverk, har varit idealtypen konceptbyggare. Med vissa kompletteringar har detta ramverk nyttjats och utvecklats för att beskriva och analysera orsakssambanden kring strategisk kongruens och integrerad styrning. Kompletteringar och justeringar har skett för att även omfatta strategier och styrsystem för bygg- och tjänsteproduktion. Föreställningsramen har, utifrån den erfarenhet som erhållits vid analysen av insamlad data, justerats. Justeringen har bestått i klassificeringsdimensionerna IT, organisationskultur och värdegrund. I studien, som bl.a. består av fallbeskrivning och analys av konceptbyggare, har framkommit att de konceptbyggare som nått framgång också har lyckats uppnå strategisk kongruens och integrerad styrning. Studien har bl.a. kunnat påvisa vad betydelsen av boendets fysiska planering innebär för möjligheten att bedriva tjänsteproduktion. Studien har bl.a. visat att nordamerikanska konceptbyggare har en hög grad av samstämmighet mellan strategi och styrsystem. Samstämmigheten kan sammanfattas i marknadskännedom, tydlig verksamhetsidé, branscherfarenhet, insikt om skalfördelar via klustring, organisatorisk småskalighet, känsla för värdeskapande, målinriktning, långtgående befogenheter och delegerat ansvar, värdestyrd verksamhet och en väl utvecklad organisationskultur. De nordamerikanska konceptbyggarna har definierat sina verksamheter som hotellverksamhet för seniorer vilket innebär att de boende blivit kunder och de äldre i allmänhet betraktas som en tillgång. / The demographic trend in Sweden features a population with a rising average age. According to forecasts, nearly one Swede out of four will be 65 or older by the year 2025. Many individuals in this category of older persons, or seniors, can look forward to an active, healthy and relatively long old age. Studies have shown that tomorrow’s seniors and retirees will be relatively well off as social groups. In addition, attitude and generation surveys have indicated that these groups have high demands and expectations for their old age, future housing and related services. Society will thus face a considerable challenge, which includes maintaining a basic commitment to continue guaranteeing the standard of quality in housing and services for the elderly that is presently taken for granted. Necessary societal priorities, however, may require individuals to take more initiative and assume greater financial responsibility than before in some of these areas. In the 2000’s a new market segment has been established and shown vigorous growth. That segment is the senior housing market, where various housing concepts are offered to the target group, seniors, or persons aged 55+. The number of senior housing units in Sweden has soared in the last few years, from about 10 000 in 2000 to some 28 000 in 2007. In this study, the concept of senior housing, with features of integrated service and care, has been of special interest. What characterizes this housing concept is that housing and related services have been adapted and specially designed for living as an aging individual. This dissertation (”the survey”) is reported in the form of a monograph consisting of two separate studies. The research question that has guided the first study is, “What creates a strong market position for a player on the senior-housing market with integrated service, health care and other forms of service and care?” The research question for the second study is, “What production strategies and control systems can be identified for some of the most successful concept-builders?” The two studies are related in that the latter is based on the results of the former. The studies were conducted over a period from 2002 to 2008. The research was done as an exploratory field study. The field-study approach has given priority to breadth and inclusion of many aspects. The instrument of measurement has consisted of set interview questions with open-ended alternative responses. The underlying interviews, together with secondary data, have been presented as a number of case studies. In the survey, a number of successful players have been selected on the basis of the criteria considered typical of successful actors on the senior housing market. Both Swedish and North American organizations have participated in the survey. The empirical material of the survey has been analyzed on the basis of the theoretical conceptual frameworks developed for the two respective studies. The first study has been analyzed with a framework based on the concepts of environment, strategy, resources, service and competitiveness. The results have been formulated in a number of strategic choices that are summarized in the concepts of differentiation, focus, integration, collaboration, control, business development, core competence and resources. In this connection, it has been possible to show that actors who operate a successful business follow largely what Porter (1980) has defined as a strategy of differentiation. Moreover, a business-strategy typology of actors on the senior housing market has also been constructed. Also, the tentative conclusions of the first study have been formulated in four strategic ideal types: administrators, concept-builders, entrepreneurs and idealists. The point of departure for the second study has been the ideal type referred to as the concept-builder. The conceptual framework has therefore been developed further, based in part on the theoretical framework of Nilsson and Rapp (2005). With certain additions, these foundations have been used to construct a detailed theoretical framework for the study. The conceptual framework has been designed to describe and analyze the causal relationships relating to strategic congruence and integrated control. In this regard, additions and adjustments have been made to include strategies and control systems for the construction of buildings and the production of services. The results of the second study include a case description and an analysis of successful concept-builders. One reason for their success is assumed to be their ability to achieve strategic congruence and integrated control. In light of the findings from the analysis of the data, the conceptual framework has been somewhat modified. This adjustment has consisted in classification along the dimensions of IT, organizational culture and fundamental values. In this connection it has been possible to demonstrate the importance of the physical planning of housing for the production of services. Emphasis has been placed on designing the physical facility and housing right from the beginning so as to facilitate the service-producing operation in a later stage of the life cycle. One finding of the survey is that with North American concept-builders there is a high degree of consistency between strategies and control systems. The factors underlying this consistency can be summarized as market knowledge, industry experience, understanding the economies of scale attainable through clustering, organization on a small scale, a clear concept of business, a sense of value creation, a focus on objectives, farreaching delegation of authority and responsibility to the operating level, skilled management, value-oriented operations and a well-developed organizational culture. Through the survey, a number of customer-controlled operations have been illustrated in the case studies. It is apparent that compared to the past, there has been a shift in industry attitude in North America, creating a situation that differs from Swedish conditions in some respects. The North American concept-builders have defined their businesses as hotel operations for seniors. This has automatically shifted the focus toward one where residents have become customers and older people in general are regarded as assets.

Old age and aging become an increasingly topical issue. All periods of human life are very important, but old age is the last stage of life, it is the crowning of human life. Aging and the period of old age brings many changes. An important change in seniors' lives may be moving in a residential care, for example a residential home for elderly people. This change can be very difficult and problematic. Human rights should be still respected as well as a person's needs should be met. Nevertheless peoples' needs change with age, some grow more important and others become minor. Every person in the world without exception has freedom and rights that should be respected no matter the race, nationality, religion, education, sexual orientation, gender or age. The topic of this thesis is The Respect for the Rights of Seniors in Nursing Homes. The aim is to map different points of view on respect for the rights of older people in particular nursing homes. Two sub-goals have been set. The first sub-goal is to find out how employees of a concrete nursing home perceive the respect for rights of elderly people. The second sub-goal is to find out how the seniors perceive the respect for their rights by employees in a concrete nursing house. The strategy of qualitative research, the questioning method and the semi-structured interview technique were used during the research. The main research question was set What are the risk areas while respecting the human rights in a concrete nursing home? To answer the main research question other six more specific component research questions were stated. The research showed that employees of a particular home for the elderly perceive that the rights are respected for the domains of physiological needs, the needs of safety and security, the needs of solidarity and love, respect and recognition needs and the need of self-realization. The most difficult areas of human rights to respect are the right to personal protection, equality and the dignity. According to seniors' answers we can understand that the biggest limitation in hygiene and movement domain is experienced by immobile seniors. Those who stay mobile do not feel isolated and they feel their freedom. On the other hand the seniors in the category below sixty years of age feel limited by their age and this has an impact on their feeling of isolation and unsociability. I have given the results of this work to the Nursing Home XY as a feedback from seniors on services provided in this nursing home. Results have also been used in the Nursing Home XY during the Quality Standard no.2 revision called "Protection of Rights".