ПРОБЛЕМИ, СВЪРЗАНИ С ПОДВИЖНОСТТА НА ЛИЦАТА НА ВЪЗРАСТ 65 И ПО- ВЕЧЕ ГОДИНИ, ПОЛЗВАЩИ СОЦИАЛНИ ИНСТИТУЦИОНАЛНИ УСЛУГИ. (Bulgarian)

Mobility is one of the main factors determining human independence. The mobility of elderly has a positive effect on their quality of life, including socialization, whether they live in an institution or in a community. The aim of this article is to address the main issues related to the mobility of institutionalized persons aged 65 and over. For this aim, the analysis is based on the results of a study among 175 people aged 65 and over from four retirement homes for the elderly - two in Varna and two in Provadia. In each of the cities are included two institutions - one with municipal funding and one with private funding. The information from the respondents was obtained through a semi-structured interview. Documentary method and observation were also used. Comparing the mobility of the participants with the time they need to get used to the new environment, it was found that in less than a month, mostly people from the group "move with the help of аssistive technology " have adapted. When comparing the mobility of the participants with the walks they perform, almost 1/4 of the walkers are those who move independently. Those with limited mobility walk less, and those abed – don’t walk at all (there is a strong correlation r = 1; p = 0.001). A comparison of the sadness that adults feel according to their mobility found that the constant feeling of sadness accompanies more people who have limited mobility (p = 0.02). In terms of lone-liness, the largest share of elderly included in the study feel lonely all the time, with no statistically significant difference depending on the degree of mobility (χ2 = 10.136; p = 0.06). Most of them use assistive technology for moving. Limited mobility makes it difficult to meet basic living needs and reduces contacts. This increases the feeling of social isolation, which is already present among many of accommodated persons in the retirement homes for elderly people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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