The thesis deals with the topic of old people in a rural area living in poverty. In the theoretical part, we have tried to present a comprehensive view of ageing. We have identified problems that occur in the human body, psyche and society that afflict the ageing process. Theories of ageing serve as a good basis to explain poverty and its impact on the old people. For old people living in rural areas, poverty has multiple effects on their lives. The quality of life of old people living in rural areas in poverty is very poor, however, they develop various survival strategies. Poverty affects old people’s health. Due to poverty older people cannot take care of their health as they would with better financial resources. Physical health afflictions manifest as a variety of pain occurring in the spine and joints, which restrict the mobility of an old person. The financial condition of old people changes after their retirement, as their monthly income decreases – with variability depending on the criteria of retirement. Due to their poor financial condition and after retirement, many old people become dependent on pension supplements provided by the state and on their close ones. Old people are financially supported mainly by their children, who at least partly alleviate their parents’ financial expenses with financial contributions. Children are the basic social network of old people. A wider social network comprises their siblings and parents (if they are still alive), along with their friends. The social network of old people narrows due to many reasons. One of the reasons is that, due to limited mobility, they cannot meet their friends; moreover, they cannot visit their friends (and maintain a friendly relationship with them) due to their financial situation as they are ashamed of it. They cannot afford to buy a gift when visiting their friends (such as a pack of coffee or a pack of biscuits), which is considered as a good habit in our society, and that causes stress and arouses the feeling of shame in old person. To avoid these feelings, old people do not visit their friends; consequently, they cannot maintain a friendly relationship with them. Their social network also narrows due to the death of their friends.
|