PECULIARITIES OF THE NEEDS OF THE ELDERLY IN RURAL AREAS

Abstract

The article considers one of the problems of an aging society – taking into account the needs of elderly people in rural areas in order to ensure quality of life through social work with them. The urgency of the topic is due to the growing number of elderly people as clients of social services and the difference in opportunities to ensure quality social work in urban and rural areas. The targeting of social services, social services and social work of this group of the population, according to the author, largely depends on knowledge of the primary and secondary needs of the elderly living in the village. The article presents data from a study of the needs of elderly people in rural areas of Volyn region through questionnaires and interviews during 2020. The results of the study showed that the villagers, as well as the city, have an insufficient level of pension provision among the elderly, which causes dissatisfaction with material needs, especially the cost of treatment and maintenance of physical health, utilities, and food is mainly provided by products grown on the plot. The need for access to quality medical care is also unmet. However, respondents also identify secondary needs as full-fledged, there are: full communication, timely receipt of information and clarifications on the adoption of legislation governing land relations, pensions, social protection, provision of medical services in connection with medical reform, the possibility of administrative reforms, as well as the organization of leisure (it is as such absent in the countryside), involvement in the cultural life of the community. According to the author, to meet these needs it is necessary to coordinate the work of state and non-state organizations, this is what the work of community leaders and state authorities should be aimed at. The obtained research can contribute to the optimization of social work, but the dynamics of the needs of people of respectable age requires constant monitoring and research in terms of age groups.