ПРОБЛЕМИ, СВЪРЗАНИ С ИНСТИТУЦИОНАЛИЗАЦИЯТА НА ЛИЦАТА НА ВЪЗ- РАСТ 65 И ПОВЕЧЕ ГОДИНИ

The need for continuous, adequate and full-scale social services for the population aged 65 years and over is progressively increasing. In most countries, elderly people are accommodated in specialized institutions where they are provided with nursing health care. Institutional care in Europe is offered in old age homes as well as in homes for people with different types of disabilities. The purpose of the present article is to outline the main problems of the people aged 65 and over who are placed in social institutions. The analysis is based on normative, research and electronic sources and statistics data related to the provision of social services, from Bulgaria and other countries around the world. The delicate state of the users of these services predetermines the discrepancy between their needs and the service offered. The main problems related to the institutionalization of persons aged 65 and over concern the insufficient accommodation capacity of the specialized institutions, the shortage of enough qualified personnel to look after the institutionalized, the lack of medical competence of the staff, the lack of adequate care, the difficult adaptation of the elderly to living in an institutional environment, as well as various forms of abuse towards elderly residents in the institutions. Acts of abuse may include physical violence, verbal aggression, misuse of property and finances, sexual abuse, drug abuse, neglect, intentional isolation. These problems provoke negative attitudes and destroy the trust elderlies and their relatives have in institutions. The difficulties faced by institutional service users lead to seeking better prospects for care. Hence prevention of institutionalization is among the leading objectives for most developed countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]