To define innovative living environments for the elderly that will meet the needs, desires, and habits of the elderly in Slovenia and that will enable the elderly to remain active members of society for as long as possible, and at the same time for these living environments to be financially more sustainable for the elderly and for Slovenian society in general.

 

Western society is characterized by increasing aging. Compared to other regions, the problem of aging is especially acute in Europe. Slovenia is no exception in this regard. Moreover, Slovenian society is aging even faster than the European average. The problem of population aging is so severe that it has become an important political topic because countries are facing increased financial needs to provide appropriate housing and services for the elderly. With regard to the provision of housing for the increasing share of the elderly in Slovenia, it is especially alarming that Slovenia has so far primarily developed institutional housing for the elderly, which is the most expensive among all forms of housing. To a very limited extent, rental housing and assisted-living facilities are also available to the elderly, but there are nearly no other forms of housing. On the other hand, Slovenia has a high level of home owners.

 

Diverse housing models for the elderly have been implemented throughout the world. In Slovenia there are also some examples of local best practice in providing services for the elderly. However, caution is necessary in transferring and implementing these innovations because they must also prove successful in other environments and among all age groups of the elderly. The research question is therefore which alternative forms of housing and which services for the elderly suit their needs, desires, and habits in Slovenia. We hypothesize that in Slovenia these differ by the environment the elderly live in (urban vs. rural), different age groups, type of housing unit they live in (house vs. apartment), and so on.

 

The results of the project will be in line with the goals of EU and Slovenian strategic and other documents (e.g., the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Slovenian Development Strategy). Content of the work packages are:

 

The research project will last 3 years (36 months)

 

Project is financed by the National Research Agency

 

Bostjan Kerbler, PhD in Social Geography

Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia

E-mail: bostjan.kerbler@uirs.si

 

Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences

 

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