In my graduation thesis, I researched the need for self-advocacy among old people and the extent to which they take care of their rights and needs. In today's society, there is more and more talk about productivity, the importance of a youthful appearance and active life. On the other hand, we hear that old age is stereotypically a time when people need a lot of medication, help with various tasks due to lack of independence and slower adaptation to all changes. Public discourse that uses terms such as leadership, attention, planning, protection, leads to the subconscious realization of these stereotypes in older people and strongly influences their experience of themselves. Old people become passive because they think they don’t deserve better. Self-advocacy, as a person’s ability to speak for themselves and for their own needs, is one way to mitigate this. A person who stands up for his or her needs and also achieves them, in addition to being aware of his rights and duties, lives much more comfortably. In addition, an important aspect of self-advocacy is information and learning about one's weaknesses and qualities, through which a person forms his or her own goals and is able to make (important) decisions on his or her own. In researching self-advocacy of elderly, I focused on how they take care of their needs and rights. I conducted qualitative research where I interviewed nine people older than the age of 65 using the questioning method. The findings showed that their living conditions are safe and do not need to be defended. They stick to their customized routines in daily life with occasional exceptions such as excursions, they rarely attend other activities. They are happy with their social network, but sometimes they are lonely, for which they have no solution. Their state of health affects their life course and they rely on their social network for help. They rarely approach different institutions for help. They have experience mainly with doctors and community nurses, and their experience in this area is both positive and negative. Few mention successful self-advocacy at the doctor. I see the need for self-advocacy mainly in the field of financial management and health care, but it would also be important for old people to know how and decide to stand up for themselves if they experience violation of their rights. I as well see great potential for group self-advocacy when old people join various groups.
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