Households of elderly people in rural areas. Life situation and social exclusion

The population in rural areas of Poland, just like in the majority of European countries, is aging. A reflection of this process is the fact that among the overall population, the category of single and double households of elderly people is growing. For many reasons, their socio-economic position may be more difficult than that of other groups. The purpose of the paper was to characterise a life situation and to define a scale of social exclusion associated with access to health services for this category of the population. Moreover, the individual and structural determinants of the described aspect of social exclusion of the respondents have been indicated. Empirical material used was the selected results of the studies conducted periodically by the IAFENRI in 76 villages across Poland. The study sample covered all families living in those villages. In the study, we used the method of statistical data analysis and qualitative content analysis. The survey carried out showed that almost one-fifth of all the families of elderly persons was socially excluded by the fact that their medical needs were unmet.