Inter-generation solidarity in the care of seniors – alternatives for community planning

Helena KOLIBOVÁ, Magdalena CHMELAŘOVÁ

Abstract The study describes public administration measures for assessing the cul- ture of active ageing based on the results of the factor and correlation analysis of the community plans of 31 towns of the Moravian-Silesian Region. The presented statements are based on 15 standardised indexes with the corresponding scales in three spheres (Quality and presentation; Clearly defined priorities; Partners and strategies). The results imply that the public administration exercises a model of development of terrain and outpatient services so that people in their declining years do not have to leave with permanent regularity their natural social environ- ment and adapt to new life conditions. Public programmes, however, are marked by a limitation of possibilities to help in the sphere of the care of seniors, whereas the costs related to ageing are gradually being transferred to individuals and the fami- ly. The support of active ageing is only gradually becoming perceived as a problem that should be solved in a more systematic way.

Keywords Public administration, community plans, the Moravian-Silesian Region, seniors, solidarity, social strategies

JEL Classification I131, I138

Silesian University, Faculty of Public Policies, Olbrichova 625/25, 746 01 , , email [email protected] (corresponding author)

ECON – Journal of Economics, Management and Business Volume 23, Number 1, pages 61–75 (2013) doi: 10.7327/econ.2013.01.06 ISSN 1803-3865 62 ECON – Journal of Economics, Management and Business

1. Introduction The concept of norms and normality is dependable on historical and social cultural conditions. The social political activities of society are the results of the effort of individuals, movements, the theoretical legacies of thinkers, which diverted society from applying the right of the stronger against the weaker and the vulnerable and inspired the relations that on the basis of supporting moral, economic and political norms respect human rights and aspire to create human dignified conditions of life with the vision of secur- ing equal opportunities for everybody. Old age as an event and inter- generation support from the family side and society is described in many documented historic cultures. The idea that the social state can function as a blown-out pillow, pampering its clients, is obsolete and unreal. The process of the maturing and cultivation of social political measures is defined by the participation, interests and potential of actual participants, the profiles of their attitudes, inventiveness, and the authority or needs that they evoke, control and revise actual activities. It concerns Those who are given something and for whom social political measures are made and adapted and are the objects of the care and attention, Those who through a concrete way implement the social political measures for their executors, that is subjects, Those who act for the benefit of others. The aim of this article is to find a rationale and practical options for how to reinforce a particular type of intergenerational solidarity and to judge the level of the community plans of the selected locations by the set indica- tors.

2. Methodology a) For setting the targeted group as the source database for the analysis of community plans, the Statistics – the list of towns of the Czech Re- public whose number of the population exceeds 5000 – was used. From the total number of 270 in the Moravia-Silesian Region, there is the list of 31 towns including municipalities located in the territory, corresponding to the territory defined by the sphere of authority of the municipal authority with the authorised municipal office. b) For setting the object of comparison, strategic documents of munici- palities were analysed in the sphere of planning social services devel- H. Kolibova, M. Chmelařová – Inter-generation solidarity in the care of seniors… 63

opment, which are entitled Community Plans, Strategic Plans, Local Action Plans, Medium-term Community Plans of the development of social services in the territory, etc. For the research factor and correlation analysis of the community plans in the Moravian-Silesian Region, there were set standardised indexes with the corresponding scales. These are Quality and presentation, Clearly de- fined priorities, Partners and Strategy.

3. Aspects of the culture of ageing Developed countries create a legal, economic and social environment for the development of civil society, whereas society sets the rules and defines the space of the life functioning of an individual. This process reflects the group level and manifests in the form of the social maturing of the genera- tion, and thus it affects the individual level and forms conditions of individ- ual ageing. People grow old in the environment of external conditions that they cannot influence, as the atmosphere of society, economic certainty or uncertainty, is out of the radius of their capacities (Kolibová, 2012). The complex aspect of social coherency, especially defined conditions of the pension legislation forming the base and functioning of families, is based on traditions, i.e. stereotypes and ways of behaviour in the inter- generation exchange. That, and the guarantee of the support, can stimulate or destroy the family models of care for covering services for their inde- pendent members. Its role is also played by the medial norm, which is used for the picture by which it is presented to inhabitants. The medial standard- isation of the support of ageing is differentiated: In the limited concept, the support of ageing is usually connected with the passive role of the public administration and is identified with the system of social security benefits. Its task is to eliminate the negative impacts of the functioning of the market mechanism, which could show as the existence of poverty. It is the concentration on the solidarity and support at the absence of incomes in old age and help- lessness, whereas the support of ageing is seen as a cost item of the state or public budgets, which has a negative influence on economic development or, in the better case, provides only very little stimula- tion. In the culture of ageing, there is thus the absence of a con- sistent and inspiring interconnection of pension and family policy to the relation and combination of the principle of insurance and soli- darity. 64 ECON – Journal of Economics, Management and Business

In the wide concept, the support of ageing is orientated on active components that can influence the prevention of negative social phenomena. Besides social security, there are also ranked sectors that influence social development in a positive way; these have posi- tive economic impacts and contribute to the production of resources. Their task is to combine efficiency and solidarity in the long-term to- gether with the fact that growth in social wealth should be reflected in the rise of the standard of living of all social classes.

The role of the public administration in the profile of the culture of active ageing and implementation of the concept of social support In the implementation of social strategies, the public administration fulfils a key role: The public sector has the greatest part in society and the activities of the state, as it prefers to target directivity and systematises institu- tional embedding, The direct and indirect outputs of the activities of the public admin- istration set the space and profile the character of the culture of ac- tive ageing, Public policies significantly influence the permanently sustainable de- velopment of society, The responsibility of the public administration includes the adequacy, availability, financial sustainability and efficiency of their measures, The growing pressure of the public on manifesting the results of the implemented activities and effective public spending means calcu- lates with the voluntary approach of partners to obligations of a re- gional scope.

The role of the public sector The public sector as the subject (the supporter and administrator) of the social system against the objects of the social policy: Setting the vision and strategies of key documents (the National Pro- grammes of Preparation for Old Age). Promotion of the concept towards participating partakers, evoking and preservation of their motivations, and collaboration. H. Kolibova, M. Chmelařová – Inter-generation solidarity in the care of seniors… 65

Support of the dialogue at the communicative level in line of fulfilling defined visions and their schedule. Assessment and evaluation of interested parties, significant acts for the benefit of activities or funding the targeted group and national concepts. Public education of professional and non-professional public. Communication with the public and other sectors with the objective of involving them in the support of strategies of active ageing. Support of media coverage and its partiality. Participation in European strategies (EY, 2012). Organisations of the public sector as the users of the activities of the private sector towards the objects of social policy (the targeted group of seniors): Inter-connexion of the private and public sectors when the organisa- tion of the public sector provides the private sector with the frame perspective (e.g. NGO or commercial activities) and assists in keeping the norms (standards) of care and quality of services. The public sector limits and guarantees space for the activities of the private sector, whereas the organisations of the public sector are ac- ceptors of the offers of the private sector. Support of the employment rate.

Organisations of the public sector as subjects of the social policy with an active role in the social system: The public sector receives and declares its key role and transfers the responsibility to lower links of the network (local, regional, national and worldwide levels). Broad collaboration in the culture of active ageing. Support for the quality and extent of publicly provided services and regional devel- opment. Among one of the resources of the culture of active ageing and its social support include the relations of the public sector to the local social life with the generation emphasis. Even community planning is possible to be used for optimising relations by world inspiration. 66 ECON – Journal of Economics, Management and Business

Community work is understood as the method and final procedures that aim at evoking or supporting changes within the local community (Keller, 2005). The purpose of community work is to make the members of the community active, so that they can define the basic barriers of social inte- grating and development and provide favourable solutions to social prob- lems or eliminating barriers of inclusion. The aim of community work is approaching the state when citizens can solve their problems by their own potency or with the support of other members of the community. The basic features of community work: Used for solving problems and inducing problems in the local com- munity, Relates problems of individuals or groups to sources and possibilities of the community, Involves all interested citizens, organisations and institutions of the particular community in decision-making and problem solving, Leads to redistributing and sharing sources, responsibility and com- petence, Extends the possibilities of people to influence what is going on.

Research factor and correlation analysis of community plans in the Mora- vian-Silesian Region The community is the place where a person can acquire emotional, evaluat- ing and practical help in everyday life (Matoušek, 2003). In the community hierarchy, there appear not only the closest neighbourhood connections and relations. The interest in the community and community development are also initiated by the public administration, as community life allows people to participate in public events and their integration as well. As indi- viduals, we are members of different communities: in the three-level hier- archy, we are members of the community in the neighbourhood, in the town/region/state and in the national region. In present theories, which understand the entry of ICT into everyday life, we are also members of the electronic agora, i.e. virtual communities. The Internet thus supports GLO- CALISATION (Frič and Vávra, 2012). The aim of the research investigation was to judge the level of the com- munity plans of selected locations by the set indicators and to assess them in line with the key indicators. H. Kolibova, M. Chmelařová – Inter-generation solidarity in the care of seniors… 67

4. Research questions The research questions were set with regard to the social reality and the characteristics of the area of the Moravia-Silesian Region: 1. How the process of community planning is based upon knowledge of the social reality and what sources it considers to be the starting point (the sphere of quality and presentation). 2. How the concepts of authorisation and participation combine in a transparent way and whether they support the culture of active age- ing (the sphere of clearly defined priorities). 3. How community planning reflects in the behaviour of single partakers and how it manages to involve partners in the vision of the public administration. This means how the concepts are transferred by sin- gle partakers into the concrete strategies and methods of community work in terms of social inclusion (the sphere of partners and strate- gy). Table 1 Strategic documents Municipalities Municipalities located in the Strategic document of the munici- with the territory corresponding to the pality in the sphere of planning the authorized territory defined by the sphere social services development municipal of authority of the municipal office authority with the authorized municipal office 1. Bílovec Bílov, Bítov, , Jisteb- The document is absent ník, , Slatina, Tísek, Velké Albrechtice 2. Bohumín Rychvald The medium-term community plan of the town of Bohumín for the years 2007 – 2010 3. Bruntál Bílov, Bítov, Bravantice, Jisteb- The community plan of the devel- ník, Kujavy, Slatina, Tísek, Velké opment of social services of the Albrechtice town of Bruntál for the period 2009– 2011 4. Český Chotěbuz The community plan of social ser- Těšín vices of the town of Český Těšín 5. Frenštát , Lichnov, Tichá, The medium-term plan of the p. , Veřovice development of social services on Radhoš- the territory of the administration těm district of the town of Frenštát p. Radhoštěm 2010 –2014 6. Frýdek- Dolní Domaslavice, Dolní Toša- The community plan of the devel- Místek novice, Fryčovice, Horní Do- opment of social services in the city maslavice, Horní Tošanovice, of Frýdek-Místek for the years 2007 68 ECON – Journal of Economics, Management and Business

Hukvaldy, Kaňovice, Kozlovice, – 2010 Krásná, Krmelín, Lhotka, Lučina, Morávka, Nižní Lhoty, Nošovi- ce, , , Pazder- na, Pražmo, Raškovice, Řepiště, Sedliště, Soběšovice, Staré Město, Staříč, , Třano- vice, Vojkovice, Vyšní Lhoty, Žabeň, Žermanice 7. Frýdlant Bílá, Čeladná, , Kunčice The medium-term plan of the n. Ostra- pod development of social services vicí Ondřejníkem, , 2009 – 2013 , , Pržno, Pstruží, Staré Hamry 8. The community plan of the devel- opment of social services in the territory of Odersko and Fulnecko for the period 2008 – 2012 9. Havířov Bílá, Čeladná, Janovice, Kunčice The community plan of the devel- pod Ondřejníkem, Malenovice, opment of social services in the city Metylovice, Ostravice, Pržno, of Havířově Pstruží, Staré Hamry 10. Hlučín Bělá, Bohuslavice, , The medium-term plan of the Děhylov, , Dolní development of social services and Benešov, , , Ludge- related activities in territory of řovice, , Píšť, Hlučínsko 2010 – 2014 Šilheřovice, Vřesina, Závada 11. Horní Horní Životice, Staré Heřmino- The strategic plan of the town of Benešov vy, Svobodné Heřmanice Horní Benešov for the years 2008 - 2015 12. Jablun- , Bukovec, Dolní The plan of social services of the kov Lomná, Horní Lomná, Hrádek, town of for the period Hrčava, Milíkov, Mosty u 2008 – 2010 Jablunkova, Návsí, Písečná, Písek 13. Karviná Dětmarovice, Petrovice u Kar- The local operational plan of social viné, Stonava integrating 14. Kopřivni- Štramberk, Závišice, Ženklava The medium-term plan of the ce development of social services in Kopřivnice for the period 2009 – 2012 15. Kravaře , , Kobeřice, The community plan of the town of Kravaře, , , Kravaře for the period 2007 – 2008 , Štěpánkovice, Třebom 16. , Býkov-Láryšov, Čako- The medium-term plan of the vá, Hošťálkovy, , Lichnov, development of social services in Úvalno, Zátor the town of Krnov for the period H. Kolibova, M. Chmelařová – Inter-generation solidarity in the care of seniors… 69

2009 - 2012 17. Town Heřmanovice, Holčovice, Janov, Albrech- Jindřichov, Liptaň, Petrovice, tice Třemešná, Vysoká 18. Nový Bartošovice, Bernartice nad The community plan of the devel- Jičín Odrou, Hladké Životice, Hodsla- opment of social services related in vice, Hostašovice, Jeseník nad the town of Nový Jičín for the years Odrou, Kunín, Mořkov, Rybí, 2009 – 2011 , Starý Jičín, , Šenov u Nového Jičína, Životice u Nového Jičína 19. Heřmanice u Oder, Heřmánky, The community plan of the devel- Jakubčovice nad Odrou, Lubo- opment of social services in the měř, , Odry, Spálov, territory of Odersko and Fulnecko Vražné for the period 2008 – 2012 20. Opava , Bratříkovice, The community plan of the devel- Brumovice, Budišovice, Dolní opment of social and related ser- Životice, Háj ve Slezsku, Hlavni- vices of the Statutary City of Opava ce, Hlubočec, Hněvošice, Hola- for the period 2008 – 2010 sovice, Hrabyně, Hradec nad Moravicí, Chlebičov, Chvalíkovi- ce, , , Kyjovice, , , , Mladec- ko, Mokré Lazce, , Nové Sedlice, Oldřišov, , Pustá Polom, Raduň, Skřipov, , Služovice, Sosnová, Stěbořice, Štáblovice, Štítina, Těškovice, Uhlířov, Velké Heral- tice, Velké Hoštice, Vršovice 21. Orlová Dolní Lutyně, Doubrava, Pet- The community planning of social řvald services of the town of Orlová 2007 - 2010 22. Bohušov, Dívčí Hrad, Hlinka, Rusín, Slezské Pavlovice, Slez- ské Rudoltice 23. Čavisov, Dolní Lhota, Horní The community plan of social ser- Lhota, , Olbramice, vices and related activities in the Stará Ves nad Ondřejnicí, Še- city of Ostrava till the year 2010 nov, Václavovice, Velká Polom, Vřesina, 24. Příbor Kateřinice, Mošnov, Petřvald, The medium-term plan of the , Trnávka development of social services of the town of Příbor for the period 2008 – 2012 25. Rýmařov Břidličná, Dolní , Horní The community plan of the devel- Město, Jiříkov, Malá Morávka, opment of social services of the 70 ECON – Journal of Economics, Management and Business

Malá Štáhle, Ryžoviště, Stará town of Rýmařov till the year 2011 Ves, , Velká Štáhle 26. Albrechtičky, Pustějov The medium-term plan of the development of social services of the town of Studénka 27. Třinec Bystřice, Hnojník, Komorní The medium-term plan of the Lhotka, Košařiska, Nýdek, Ropi- development of social services of ce, Řeka, Smilovice, Střítež, the town of Třinec for the period Vělopolí, Vendryně t2009 – 2012 28. Vítkov Březová, Budišov nad Budišov- The community plan of the devel- kou, Čermná ve Slezsku, Kruž- opment of social and related ser- berk, Melč, Moravice, Nové vices of the town of Vítkov in the Lublice, Radkov, Staré Těcha- years 2010-2014 novice, Svatoňovice, Větřkovice 29. The document is absent. 30. Vrbno p. Karlova Studánka, Karlovice, The community plan of the devel- Pradě- Ludvíkov, Široká Niva opment of social services of the dem micro region Vrbensko 2007/2008

Indicators of a good community project are usually broad and they pro- vide a range of subjective and objective indicators and facts. Ideological inspiration for scientific comparing was the applied procedure according to the material of Steven E. Mayer (C.S. Mott Foundation, Rainbow Research, Inc.), adjusted by the CPSI programme, which considers the following cir- cumstances as crucial: The project develops an enthusiasm and interest in people. The idea of the project is created in an open process; it is not only an idea of some of the persons concerned or the closed groups of per- sons. The project helps open groups participate in public matters. The project gives people the opportunity to do things in the way they want, how they feel them, how good they consider them to be. The project gives people the possibility to think and act in a creative way. The project interconnects the group or various groups of people. The project helps against indolence and indifference; it strengthens the participators of the project.

H. Kolibova, M. Chmelařová – Inter-generation solidarity in the care of seniors… 71

The project opens new dimensions to people and groups. The project helps people overcome the black-and-white vision of problems. The project gives people the opportunity to make mistakes and to learn from their mistakes and also to learn from one another. Thinking of people influences mutually the project it cultivates. The project strengthens and helps bring the things in movement. The project helps form priorities of the interest of the community. The project reveals and uses the existing potentials of the commu- nity. The project takes over the state and events and directs towards them. The elements of the project can be used again in other cases. The project is not isolated; single steps of the project have broader succession. The project is well presented and prepared. The project presents all participating groups to the public. The project presents by all available means that it is a good idea. The project has an implementation plan, including single steps. The project comes from the knowledge of local partners. For the research factor and correlation analysis of the community plans in the Moravian-Silesian Region, there were set standardised indexes with corresponding scales, as stated in the brackets in the following survey. The level of the function is stated on the scale: the higher number of points, the higher is the fulfilling of the function and vice versa. Quality and presentation Accessibility on webpages, accessibility on the info centre, the community or the municipality (10). Transparency – objectives, actions, means, sources (10). Extent/comprehensibility (10). Research sources – Social demographic analysis (10). 72 ECON – Journal of Economics, Management and Business

Research sources – supplemental research realised by own poten- cy, the analysis of the providers and submitters of social services (10). Clearly defined priorities Transparency, clearly defined priorities of the interest of the com- munity, occurrence of hard and soft data (8). Description of the existing potential of the community, the acces- sibility of services in the local time, the financial level (5). Interconnection, concurrence of logics of information and visions, combining the quantitative and qualitative strategy (5). Frequency of using the word: a senior besides characteristics of the targeted group (5). The community plan reacts on local miscellaneous needs of the in- habitants or it has the classical range of services (4). Partners, strategy The efficiency of spent sources and the range of partakers increase (8). Consultancy (2) Outlining the vision by the form of short-term, middle-term and long-term targets (6). The plan contains the offer adjusting cohabitation with the minori- ty group (2). The criteria are set for assessment of successfulness of fulfilling the community plan (5). The right to an independent way of life and the integration of seniors are reflected in the key forms of integrating (Musil, 2004). This concerns the fact that the public administration should guarantee the possibility for sen- iors to form an inseparable part of the community, to live in a normal rhythm of life, to have the possibility of the choice and supervision of their own life, to perform dignified and valuable social roles, to have the possibil- ity to establish and develop meaningful relations and to have the oppor- tunity to learn and grow, maintain, strengthen or gain more own compe- tences (Čepelka et al., 1997). H. Kolibova, M. Chmelařová – Inter-generation solidarity in the care of seniors… 73

The basic strategy of the support of active ageing lies in the utilisation of tools to keep the targeted group of seniors for the longest period possible in the common environment. This relates to the extent of the self- sufficiency of the individual and the possibility of the support and care of selected kinds of services, ideally directly in the households of users. The resulting evaluation is shown by the figure 1 that states in the up- ward sequence the final sums of assessed particular plans according to the research sample of the towns and municipalities in the Moravian-Silesian Region. Community plans are profiled in different ways. Their analysis was car- ried out by considering the support of active ageing and integration of per- sons aged 55+ into society. In this case, however, the theory and practice of community planning differ diametrically and in reality. To achieve the social inclusion of different targeted groups, particularly of persons aged 55+, in social work the level of theories and phraseology of documents prevails, but less often the real execution of practice. The vision of authorising sen- iors is not only understood for social work as the full participation of all citizens in society (Musil, 2004). Quoted with theorists, what is concerned is how people influence their own lives and how they reach their interests as a group (Strnadová, 2008). In the social support of active ageing in the pro- grammes of towns and municipalities of the particular region, the fulfil- ments of the theory of authorising and utilising the appropriate tools of support are important. This is because civil society should strengthen in appointing the power of people who do not have it and are occasionally pushed to the periphery of society (in this case, based on terminating their productive activity by age).

5. Conclusion Currently, the number of old and new social risks that the population has to face is increasing. There seems to be a fragility of the family as a conse- quence of the present lifestyle, housing policy, etc. Concurrently, however, the relation between work flexibility and the family has stabilised (Beck, 2011). The consequences of the crisis of the social state and its attempts at renascence are transferred to the individual, whereas the guarantee of the security of the family is transferred to all members of the family. A state of uncertainty is experienced by the families of seniors, especially widowed women as sole wage earners who belong to the poorest households in gen- eral. The stability of families is also affected to a certain extent by the social 74 ECON – Journal of Economics, Management and Business state, which attempts to help incomplete families or individuals. This leads to the fact that families dissolve and are abandoned much easier. The crisis of the social state can lead, on the one hand, to the failure of incomplete families and, on the other hand, to strengthening family ties. Based on demographics, the strategies of ageing in the social context arouse attention and provoke a mosaic of emotions. The topicality of the theme obliges both: An individual and his/her responsibility for his/her ageing, His/her family, which in relations on the preservation of the kin and the inter-generation exchange with the support of community tools can face a certain dependency on the state and its social system, Society, which by using the tools of the social system (social securi- ty, continuous pension system, etc.) – not only under financed pen- sion allowances but also thorough the employment of persons aged 55+ or through the support of families with formal or informal health visitors or social workers – can help maintain the security of its citizens in old age. Therefore, the role of community planning and the community is increasing. It is important for discussions about the demographic shifts of genera- tions to take into account the interconnection of problems, to state the functions and the extent of the public service institutions established by the state for seniors and their caring families. A great deal of work is ahead of the regional self-government in optimising community plans so that they are not only an obligatory document, but the instrument of progress and help in the social reality.

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Figure 1 Profiles of the assessed community plans in the Moravian-Silesian Region

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