Disability of the elderly as a factor determining the use of social assistance services

The natural consequence of many chronic diseases is appearing the time disability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of disability of older people benefiting from social assistance.

The study was conducted between 2011 and 2012 in a group of elderly (65 and over) people who were looked after the Municipal Social Welfare Centre, Łódź-Polesie. The study tool was survey questionnaire consisting questions regarding the health condition of subjects, including disability, its causes and questions about difficulty in performing selected activities of daily living. The following statistics measures were used: ratios of the structure and measures the position of the measurable characteristics. The relationships between the variables were evaluated using the χ2 test.

Most beneficiaries were women (77.9%). The respondents were mostly widows (73.9%) or widowers (43.7%). A chronic disease was the most common cause of the application for help (73.4%). 42.9% of applications were motivated by disability respondents. 240 people (51.5% of respondents) had a pronounced degree of disability. In connection with disability 191 subjects (41.0% of the total, 79.6% of patients with pronounced disabilities) require constant care. The most common care of the disabled exercised social worker.

Advanced age of the elderly physical disability creates a frequent need of assistance and medical care institutions, which creates the need for the implementation of the health care system and social action to improve the functioning of the elderly at home, as well as at long-term care institutions involved in the care of such patients .