Социальные риски пожилых россиян, не получающих социальные услуги на дому

Abstract

Against the background of a complicated medical and demographic situation of ageing population, the rising demand for social services, a social category of the elderly is latent and invisible to the modern system of social care at the institutional level. The existing information on their problems, lifestyle and quality of life is insufficient to uphold their rights and ensure their social security. The problem of improving social services for older people in risk society is an important one for both social science and social work. The riskological concept of the quality of life (as developed by G. P. Petropavlova, E. V. Shlykova, E. V. Shchekotin) has come up with an integrated approach which covers risks, threats and dangers in assessing the quality of life of the elderly. The research team of the departments of sociology, social work and social medicine at Moscow University for the Humanities (V. V. Kolkov, V. V. Sokolova, E. A. Vorobtsova, S. P. Burtsev) in 2014–2015 completed a survey of social risks for the elderly who are not receiving in-home social care. The respondents to the questionnaire produced by the team were 150 people (65% women and 35% men, aged 64 to 80) living in Moscow oblast. Our study has shown that the most common risks for elderly Russians who are not receiving in-home social services, are those of fraud, material deprivation and ill health. The risks also include loss of family ties, social isolation and behavior issues. We have also identified institutional barriers that reduce the demand for in-home social services as a tool for minimizing social risks for the elderly.