Elderly conditions

In the past 20 years, society has come to consider the ageing of the population as a structural and inescapable phenomenon.  Synergia has helped services, as well as central and local public administrations to acquire knowledge about this phenomenon and to adapt to social change, through actions and research aimed at increasing the understanding of the sociological characteristics of this process within specific contexts.

Today the ageing of the population brings up new problems requiring innovative strategies and tools, so as to suitably intervene to tackle them. The main consequence on the system of services is the increase of the number of non self-sufficiency and chronic related pathologies (first and foremost dementia). Resources have to be redressed so as to support families with non self-sufficient elders, also through new strategies and individualised and diversified care paths.

Residential services will keep having an important role to face care needs of non self-sufficient elders, but the quality of assistance, especially in its socio-relational and participatory aspects (let us think about entertainment for guests and continuous training for workers) can be improved, in order to give importance to the “human” factor of care and to improve patients’ quality of life and satisfaction.

Public administrations can also play an important role in prevention, favouring the capacity of the elder to redefine his/her biography and to progressively adapt to his/her new routine. This is why we think necessary to integrate the system of formal care resources with the voluntary sector and family associations; with housing policies and Home care; with daily services and health prevention services.

We should not forget that the majority of elders is still self-sufficient: for this target the issues of poor social participation, exclusion from the labour market, poverty risks have been studied by Synergia, so as to support decision-makers in putting interventions in place.

These are the challenges facing society and  on which Synergia is working, for the development of innovative strategies and the improvement of the quality and the efficacy of existing services.

The internal department Senior Consulting deals uniquely with all relevant issues linked to elderly conditions.