Solitude of the Elderly in the Context of Demographic Changes

Year 2012 was declared the European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity. The eyes of Europe have been directed on an important issue of the problems of the elderly. Old age, which is naturally inscribed in human development, should be filled with satisfaction and joy, is often a phase of loneliness. Loneliness is very difficult for people in old age. Its social, emotional and axionormative dimension may be highlighted. In this work, I emphasize the need to become interested in the elderly, for whom appropriate prevention and intervention strategies should be prepared.

The contribution analyzes the most important risks of the present youth subcultures and the opportunities for social work and social pedagogy with regard to the problems of youth subcultures. The basic characteristics of youth subcultures is described as well as their social development, types and forms. The central meaning is inscribed to the possibilities of interdisciplinary coaction of social pedagogy and social work when solving specific problems of youth subcultures in the process of socialization during free time or at the penetration of social deviations. A specific attention is paid to the definition of the professional roles of social workers and social pedagogues in relation to the risky youth subcultures.

In the article I have presented the opinions and assessments of experts/ practitioners working with handicapped people on the causes, fields of social exclusion, factors facilitating and impeding their social inclusion. The research described in the text presents a short report on the research conducted by me in 2010, which will be published in the book entitled Danger of the Social Exclusion of Disabled Women.