Polish seniors – who are they, how do they live, what do they need? How can younger people help? What to do to make life better for seniors? In the European Union, our aging population is no exception. Already one fifth of us are older people, and according to the Central Statistical Office's forecast, in 2060 every third resident of Poland will be a senior. How does this fact change the economy, health care or the labor market?
Being a senior is worth it, we hear. – We don't work. What else? We have maybe a little more time for ourselves, for our children and grandchildren, says Mrs. Lidia.
– You can afford more, go somewhere, take a walk, take care of yourself – says Mrs. Olga. – Freedom: what time you sleep is when you get up – Mr. Tadeusz echoes her.
Unfortunately, apart from the benefits, there are also concerns and worries. – When I'm 80 years old, it's really difficult – admits Mrs. Bożena. – I'm alone, alone in the world, so, well, it's hard – says Mrs. Janina. – If you have some security, you can live somehow, and there are many poor people who cannot afford to live on anything, says Mr. Tadeusz.
The voice of people aged 65 plus is the voice of many of us
– UN recommendations show that the limit of six percent for the participation of people of this age. We can consider it that society is an old society. Poland crossed this border in the mid-1960s, i.e. 60 years ago – notes Katarzyna Góral-Radziszewska, deputy director of the Department of Demographic Research at the Central Statistical Office.
In 2003, seniors constituted almost thirteen percent of the population, ten years later this indicator increased by less than two percent, and after another decade it turned out that already one fifth of us are older people. There are several reasons for this demographic situation.
– Increased life expectancy, fewer and fewer births, but we must also remember that now the senior age of 65 and over includes numerous age groups born in the baby boom in the 1950s – points out Katarzyna Góral-Radziszewska.
Population in Poland aged 65+Central Statistical Office
Every third resident of Poland will be a senior
It is of little comfort that in the European Union, our aging society is not an exception. According to the Central Statistical Office's forecast, in 2060 every third resident of Poland will be a senior.
– Given this demographic trend, it is important to carry out activities aimed at counteracting negative demographic effects within the framework of economic and social policy – says Wojciech Dąbrówka, spokesman for the Social Insurance Institution.
– The increase in the number of people aged 65 and over will definitely have an impact on the labor market in Poland and on health care, more people may need medical assistance, (…) fewer people will be on the labor market – points out Katarzyna Góral-Radziszewska.
Demands for seniors in 100 specifics of the Civic Coalition
Among the demands for seniors included in the 100 specifics of the Civic Coalition for the first 100 days of government, one was achieved – freezing gas prices. Work on the remaining ones is ongoing. These include regulations enabling the second indexation of pensions with inflation above five percent, abolishing National Health Fund limits on hospital treatment and increasing access to geriatricians and long-term care.
– Long-term care and investing as quickly as possible, investing in care at home, says Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz, Minister of Senior Policy from the Civic Coalition.
According to the Ministry of Senior Policy, this is what the ministry's most urgent activities should focus on and do focus on. The draft act on the senior voucher is under consultation.
– The project is aimed at a professionally active family who, due to work, has difficulties in organizing care for an elderly relative – says Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz.
“Neurology should become the next priority field”
Geriatrician, Professor Tomasz Kostka says that several hundred geriatric beds intended for seniors in Polish hospitals are ten times too few.
– The creation of geriatric care centers, which has been in the political plans of all options for many years, should finally happen – says Prof. Tomasz Kostka, head of the Geriatrics Clinic of the Medical University of Lodz. – Currently, a huge part of seniors is actually deprived of comprehensive, coordinated care – he adds.
The president of the Polish Neurological Society raises the alarm. – Neurology should become another priority field, next to cardiology and oncology – says prof. Ph.D. n. med. Alina Kułakowska, president of the Polish Neurological Society.
Currently, the average Polish neurologist is 55 years old, and more than half of the patients in neurological wards are seniors – we hear.
Seniors are increasingly willing to take care of themselves
– We have about half a million people in the country with memory disorders and dementia, most of them suffer from Alzheimer's disease, we have about 90,000 people with Parkinson's disease, and about 90,000 people suffer from stroke every year, these numbers are growing – warns Prof. Ph.D. n. med. Alina Kułakowska.
More and more older people are taking matters into their own hands. Mrs. Irena Wielocha – who runs the Woman Always Young profile on Instagram – went to the gym for the first time fifteen years ago, at the age of 57, when, at least formally, she was not a senior.
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– Physically I was a senior, mentally I was a senior, I didn't like myself – admits Irena Wielocha. Today, Mrs. Irena is not considered a senior and there are more such people aged 65 and over.
– Society has definitely changed and the desire to improve one's condition, i.e. health, because that is what it is all about, is completely different, and at the same time, appearance, everything is changing, and even the mind is changing – points out Irena Wielocha.
The value of the old age index is also increasing
As for changes, they are also visible in the old age index, which shows the proportion between the oldest and youngest generations. Last year it was 133, which means that for every 100 people aged 0 to 14, there were 133 people aged 65 and over.
– Demographic forecasts indicate that this value will increase. By 2060 it will reach approximately 255 – informs Katarzyna Góral-Radziszewska.
– For example, in blocks of flats, when we are alone, well, there is a person just alone within these four walls, so that these young people can see that they will also be our age one day, if they live to see us, reminds Mrs. Janina.
Main photo source: TVN24