Reviewer: doc. PhDr. Anna Bérešová, PhD. Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Social and Behavioral Medicine, Tr. SNP č. 1, 040 66 Košice
Publication: Social Status of Seniors in V4 Countries Author: doc. PhDr. Oľga Bočáková, PhD. Košice, 10.06.2015
The submitted monograph by doc. PhDr. Oľga Bočáková, PhD., within the field of social work in broader contexts, focuses on the issues of aging, old age, and the social standing of seniors in V4 countries. This is a topic that increasingly resonates at the interdepartmental level in all the selected countries. The author has comprehensively addressed the subject on 128 pages. The text of the monograph is divided into 6 chapters and a further 22 subchapters. The chapters of the monograph are arranged in logical sequence and form a consistent whole. The publication's content consists of a list of eight graphs and three tables, a conclusion, summaries in three languages, and a list of bibliographic references. The monograph contains 86 domestic and foreign bibliographic sources on the subject matter and 24 internet sources. The stated goal has been fulfilled by the author in the six chapters of the monograph.
The publication begins with the chapter Central Europe and Its Dynamics, which provides an overview of the Central European region, elaborated into a logical and detailed historical excursion of geopolitical changes in this part of Europe. A very valuable subchapter describes various definitional approaches to delineating the term "Central Europe." In the spirit of the main idea of the presented monograph, the current issue of transformation processes in Central Europe is addressed, with an emphasis on the growth of the senior population.
The second chapter – The System of Social Policy and Social Work Oriented Towards the Person, begins logically with an analysis of the origin and development of social policy and smoothly transitions into an overview of the goals, principles, functions, and tools of social policy. The third subchapter of this part of the work connects to the field of social work through the social security system, with a strong emphasis on the senior population. The author very effectively highlights the specifics of social work with the selected population.
The third chapter, titled Theories and the Process of Aging, is a smooth transition in the structure of the work into adulthood and old age. Through definitions from a large number of cited authors, the author of the monograph provides a very detailed view of the aging process and old age as a stage of human life. The text of this part of the work is very aptly supplemented with several graphs describing the demographic situation in the Slovak Republic through the proportion of age categories in relation to gender.
The fourth chapter of the monograph, Characteristics of Aging, highlights the pros and cons of the senior age stage of life, focusing on individual attitudes towards experiencing aging and old age by seniors themselves. The author aptly states that ... "the greatest potential of old age is the intensity of the emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social life of a fully formed human being." In this chapter, the author does not omit the issue of the senior's adaptation to old age and attitudes towards dying and death.
In the fifth chapter, Problems Associated with Aging, the author, through the content of the subchapters, devotes attention to one of the most serious problems connected with the perception of old age and older people, namely discrimination and the phenomenon of ageism. The text culminates in a subchapter dedicated to the quality of life and lifestyle of seniors. Also in this chapter, the author emphasizes the importance of social work in meeting the needs of seniors and protecting their rights.
The sixth chapter, Social Status of Seniors in Comparison among V4 Countries, is valuable in its content for several scientific disciplines, social work not excepted. Through a sociological perspective on social status, the author smoothly transitions to pension security systems in the contemporary context in our conditions. The third subchapter of this part of the monograph is focused on the analysis and comparison of pension security systems in V4 countries, where the author states that .... pension security systems in V4 countries are similar in many respects, which reflects a similar demographic and socio-economic situation. At the same time, they differ in certain details." This chapter is also very aptly and clearly supplemented with graphs on the global situation and the ranking of V4 countries in individual indicators. The author draws on the results of the Global AgeWatch Index 2014 survey, which assessed the social status of people over 60 in 96 countries worldwide.
Conclusion: With its current focus, the publication is beneficial within both undergraduate and postgraduate education and social practice itself. Given the level of processing of the issue, which includes the results of analysis and comparison of the social standing of seniors in V4 countries, the presented scientific monograph is a valuable source for professionals not only in the field of social work but also in public health, medicine, and social policy. I recommend the monograph for publication.
Reviewer: Prof. PhDr. Dušan Polonský, CSc. Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Services and Counseling, University of St. Cyril and Methodius, Trnava Trnava, 21. 06. 2015
Publication: Social Status of Seniors in V4 Countries Author: doc. PhDr. Oľga Bočáková, PhD.
The submitted monograph by doc. PhDr. Oľga Bočáková, PhD. addresses a current issue that is the subject of both the humanities and social sciences on a theoretical and empirical level. Naturally, the most attention is devoted to it by such disciplines as social work and social policy, and within these, mainly topics related to social security and social services. This is mainly due to – which the author also points out – the fact that the population in industrially developed countries is aging ("graying") relatively quickly. This process can be considered increasingly alarming also in the V4 countries. It is the result, on the one hand, of low birth rates in these countries and, on the other hand, of an increasingly higher life expectancy of the population – also thanks to a changed lifestyle, quality of life, and a higher level of healthcare than in the past. This is a contradictory process at present, because the increasing proportion of elderly people raises demands on their health and social security, while the decreasing proportion of people of working age can provide this security with increasing difficulty and higher costs (including a relatively high level of unemployment in these countries).
The author sets herself the goal of "... introducing the Central European region to foreign partners, briefly outlining the basic framework of social policy and social work, and interpreting the theories and process of population aging. Along with this, to carry out a comparison of the social status of seniors in the V4 countries, which are the Slovak Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Poland, and the Czech Republic."
To achieve this goal, the author chose six chapters, in which: In the first chapter, titled "Central Europe and Its Dynamics," she describes the Central European region, where, from a logical-historical perspective, individual geopolitical changes occurred more as a result of external influences (not domestic political development) and shifts in the balance of power – whether from the West (mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary) or from the East (especially Russia). After 1989, when the so-called Soviet bloc collapsed, new tendencies emerged to reorganize the Central European region – through the integration of several countries into new entities, such as the Pentagonale, Hexagonale, Visegrad Four – V4. The latter continues to function – in the political, economic, and spiritual-cultural spheres – also underpinned by membership in the European Union and, in military-political terms, in the North Atlantic Alliance.
In the second chapter, the author briefly discusses "The System of Social Policy and Social Work Oriented Towards the Person." She aptly points to the genesis of social policy and deals with the main goals, principles, levels, and tools of social policy, updating them to the current conditions of the activities of individual social policy actors. At the end of the chapter, she addresses the social security system, in which, from the perspective of the issue at hand, the pension system and the system of social and healthcare occupy an irreplaceable place.
The content of the third chapter is "Theories and the Process of Aging," associated with the presentation of the ontogenesis of adulthood and old age according to various authors and the definition of theoretical frameworks of aging and their sub-theories – biological, genetic, stochastic, qualitative, etc. The author aptly also points to the problem of aging in the context of demographic science – especially in relation to the proportion of age categories in the population of the Slovak Republic, and the proportion of women and men ("tree of life").
In the fourth chapter, the author addresses the "Characteristics of Aging," where she defines it from a cultural, social, biological, and psychological perspective. In a quite vivid manner, she highlights the pros and cons of senior age and emphasizes the individual social (and other) situation of each person, their lifestyle, which allows them to hold such social positions and enjoy social status and prestige in society and in social groups (in the family, at the workplace – for those who work, in various associations, etc.), on the basis of which they become active in carrying out the social roles expected of them.
The fifth chapter deals with "Problems Associated with Aging" – as the subchapters indicate, mainly those connected with discrimination against older and elderly people (so-called ageism) and with manifestations of intolerance towards them, with social problems and the quality of life of seniors after 1989. The author concludes that these problems should be addressed more than they are currently by state authorities as well as by law enforcement agencies. Alongside this, it is important to also address the social problems of seniors through the entire social security system.
The sixth chapter deals with the issue of "social status of seniors in comparison among V4 countries." Alongside defining social status and its typology, the author addresses the pension security system – generally in European conditions (where only cosmetic adjustments have occurred in individual countries) and subsequently with an emphasis on the Slovak reality. In further subchapters, she describes and compares pension security systems in the V4 countries and the OECD.
Conclusion: In the presented monograph, the author has succeeded in fulfilling the set goal at a very good level. She has introduced the professional public to a topic related to senior age and defined the range of problems that seniors encounter in their daily lives. At the same time, she has pointed to starting points and possibilities for resolving their currently difficult situation in the V4 countries. Therefore, I warmly recommend the monograph for publication.