In the following diploma thesis, I present the role, status and position of elderly people (from the age of 55 to 72) in Slovenia as a country in the EU in the present time. I illustrate the way in which seniors see themselves, see their role and see life, as well as the way in which the welfare state, politics and the system influence their view. The theoretical part describes the perspective of the society, of the Slovenian social policy and of the European policy, which, in multiple waves, form and limit the lives of the elderly. Within this, I present the active ageing policy as a modern tool in coping with the ageing of the population and with long life society. The empirical part describes the perspective of an individuum: how they comprehend their status as a senior or a retiree, their opinion on the welfare state and on the way in which it provides welfare. In order to understand the position the elderly have found themselves in, an overview of the politics, the legislation and of the system is not enough. These represent the framework in which the welfare state and European influence manifest in various ways; however, it is the life stories of individuals that tell us how all these factors construct the reality of the elderly. Both the political and economic (capitalist) systems strongly affect and shape the way in which the elderly are perceived affect their worth and the ways in which they participate in society. The systems, simultaneously, create public discourse about the elderly, their role and capabilities, which can potentially negatively label or even stigmatize the elderly.
|
