Abstract

What could a happy old age look like and is it possible at all? According to Zofia Szarota (2012, s. 15-22) the fulfillment of a happy old age is possible, however, appropriate action should be taken early enough to achieve this goal. Education for old age should contain “five criteria, areas of human activity: biological criterion (healthy eating habits, looking after one’s health, hygienic lifestyle, physical activity), mental criterion (self-knowledge, healthy egoism, self-acceptance, realistic optimism, positive thinking of one’s future, avoidance of stress), social criterion (not succumbing to negative old age stereotypes, maintaining social activity, bonds with family and friends, engaging in the activity of various organizations and associations, assuming new social roles, sharing oneself with others), intellectual criterion (shaping cognitive curiosity, evoking and fostering interests, pursuing one’s passion, creative spending of leisure time, maintaining intellectual prowess through cognitive and educational activity, being open to ongoing changes), as well as economic criterion (“sensible” life - saving money for a decent retirement, ensuring one’s reasonable financial status and decent living conditions)”. Unfortunately, fulfilling all of the above criteria depends on the social policy of a given country, its economic factors, as well as increase in the awareness of both younger and older social generations. Some societies have model examples of old age while others need radical changes. However, it is worth looking for best solutions and follow international leaders setting social standards with regard to care and support for the older generation.
This paper is an attempt to present some interesting initiatives and solutions concerning social support for older people. The examples have been drawn from the experience of Western European countries which, being richer and having better institutional systems, have developed interesting support models that can be currently implemented in Poland. Some of those solutions, in a limited form, had already been functioning in our country in the past and now we should return to them and give them a new, better quality. Other solutions require adaptive changes reconciling the needs of beneficiaries with market, legal and institutional capabilities.